After his impressive debut season last year, Polish racing driver Igor Walilko will return to Euroformula Open in 2016 with the Italian RP Motorsport team aiming for victory in the overall standings.

The 18-year-old from Zielona Gora, who last year claimed 11 ‘Rookie Trophy’ podiums from 16 races, and two more in the overall classification, finished his first season in the Formula 3 car in tenth overall. Despite being a driver in demand, Walilko decided to continue with the Italian RP Motorsport team, the series reigning champions, aiming to fight for the overall victory in 2016. The Pole made his intentions clear by posting the fastest time in the season ending tests in Barcelona in December before signing a new contract with the squad in early January.

The Euroformula Open 2016 calendar consists of eight rounds, with five on circuits currently used by Formula One, including Monza in Italy and Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, where Walilko scored his two podium finishes last year. There will be two races per round, plus three pre-season two-day test sessions.

EFO drivers use Formula 3 cars with Dallara chassis, Toyota engines and Michelin tyres. At 490kg, the cars have 235hp, go from zero to 100km/h in 2,6 seconds and reach top speeds of around 250km/h. The RP Motorsport team, from Gropparello near Piacenza in Italy, are the reigning EFO champions who back in 2007 opened the doors to an international racing career for the current F1 star, Australian Daniel Ricciardo.

Igor Walilko started his racing career in karting at the age of eight, winning the Polish Championship before reaching the very top of the European and World Championship. In 2014 the Pole switched from karting to single seaters, racing in the German ADAC Masters series before moving to EFO last year.