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“It’s good to have James back” says WTCC boss on Thompson’s return

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WTCC promoter Francois Ribeiro says it’s good to have James Thompson back in the championship after a year away, with the 41-year-old returning behind the wheel of Münnich Motorsport’s Chevrolet Cruze for a one-off appearance this weekend.

The car’s regular driver, team owner René Münnich himself, is racing in the opening round of the World Rallycross Championship this weekend, opening the door for Thompson to make a return to racing after he was unceremoniously dropped by Lada mid-race weekend at the Hungaroring last year.

Ribeiro remarked he was happy to have James back in the championship, after saying last year that Lada had to readdress their line-up to be competitive, following the team’s dropping of both Thompson and Russian driver Mikhail Kozlovskiy after the first few races.

“You cannot win the championship with one top driver and two others who are two or three seconds off the pace,” said Ribeiro in June 2015. “It’s a world championship and you have to earn your seat. This is the top level of touring car racing. Yes James Thompson has been amazing for touring cars and the WTCC but it came to a point where Lada had to change and they are looking for the best possible options.”

Speaking at a press conference ahead of this weekend’s race in Slovakia, Ribeiro admitted his words last year were harsh, and praised Thompson’s experience ahead of the weekend, but with modest expectations due to his time away from the WTCC and lack of experience with the Chevrolet.

“It’s good to have James back,” he said. “I know I’ve been a bit hard on him when he left Lada and his factory seat. But James is one of the legends in touring car and I think he will struggle a bit. He has a great experience but he has not driven much over the last 12 months. And I think he doesn’t know much the Chevrolet car because it’s different to the Lada he was driving. But if there is one guy with enough experience to make a good show that’s James so I am glad he’s back and I give him a very warm welcome.”