In 2002 the founder of a
Ukrainian product distributor
Ascania Group Valeriy Gorban founded a racing team to compete in the
Ukrainian Rally Championship. The original name of the team was the
MacCoffee Rally Team, named after a coffee brand being imported to
Ukraine by the
Ascania Group under the deal with
Singapore's
Future Enterprises. To race for the team Valeriy hired the famous
Ukrainian drivers
Oleksandr Saliuk and his son
Oleksandr Saliuk Jr. previously racing for
Khors Air. While Saliuk Jr. retained his
Lada Samara, his father switched from
Ford Escort RS Cosworth, imported back in 1994, to
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII which was present at the team's launch event at Bingo night club in
Kyiv.
Valeriy Gorban entered a
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX in the
2009 Rally Poland. The team expanded to include a second car during the
2010 season for
Oleksandr Saliuk, Jr., and a third car for
Oleksiy Kikireshko in
2011, and contesting the
World Rally Championship for
Group N Production Cars. The team returned in
2012, with Gorban placing third overall in the Production championship, scoring a class victory at the
Acropolis Rally and podium finishes at the
Rally Argentina and
Rally d'Italia. The team's best result overall to date was eighth place at the
2011 Rally Australia, achieved by Saliuk, who left the team at the end of the season. Following the introduction of
Group R regulations in
2013 and the restructuring of the secondary World Rally Championship categories, Eurolamp switched to campaigning in the
WRC-2 with
Mini John Cooper Works S2000 cars supported by British motorsport firm
Prodrive. ==Complete WRC results==