Benjamin, was rallying off your radar ?
I am not from a motorsport family at all. My first love was mountain biking. From the age of eight, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I finished second in my first race, and many victories followed. I won titles in France, I was a member of the French national team, and I competed in World Cup races... Then, when I was 18, I got mononucleosis. It’s a benign virus for most of the population, but it can have long-term impacts in certain endurance sports. For me, it meant muscle fatigue. I could prepare a season around a single race, but I’d completely miss out on the competition. Some people managed to come back, so I kept at it for four years without success. I could have had a promising career, as my former rivals are now professionals.

How did you make the transition ?
When I got my driving licence, I discovered the joy of driving. I had always been interested in cars long before my health issues. I used to get a real kick out of car video games or go-karting when my parents took me out with friends. I never wanted to stop and was often at the front, without ever really thinking about competition because I was thriving in another sport until I realised that my days in mountain biking were over. It was very hard psychologically at the end. I was doing the job, training six days a week, with the healthiest lifestyle possible, but it wasn’t working anymore. So I quit, frustrated and with a need for revenge. I turned to motorsport, which is usually less physically demanding. I heard about the Rallye Jeunes scheme and gave it a go. I got through several phases but just missed out the final., but that didn’t stop me from looking into it until my first start.

Once you were behind the wheel, did you regain any of the thrills of your former sport ?
There are a few similarities : race and stress management, road reading and preparing for competition. I did cross-country, so the concept of trajectory was less of a priority since physical fitness can compensate for a lack of technical skills. That said, mountain biking gave me discipline and an enormous capacity for working hard, which I could apply to rallying, and that’s essential today if you want to progress to a competitive level.

How did your debut go ?
It wasn’t easy because I didn’t finish my seasons for budgetary reasons. I was doing three or four rallies a year, so progressing in those circumstances was challenging. Then there was Covid-19, so my time spent as a physiotherapist was reduced, and I didn’t do anything in 2020. I tried a few things without much luck. I remember competing in the WRC game. I went into it hoping to win the jackpot, a production car, which I was going to sell to do some rallying. I got to the semi-final, but my computer shut down in the middle of the stage. I’d also bought a car, an F2/13, reputed to be reliable, so I could race inexpensively and learn how to tune a chassis. The idea was to prepare for a return to the feeder series, although I still needed to find out which one.

Why did you choose the Clio Trophy France Terre ?
I wanted a format where I could express myself without too big of a budget. I’d heard that the Clio Trophy France Terre was a bit like the ’Holy Grail’ of sporting equality, with very strict technical scrutineering. I thought it was a good idea, given my previous experiences, and that’s why Chloé, my co-driver and girlfriend, and I decided to go for it. At the same time, I opened a 3D concrete printing business, a relatively new activity in a fairly innovative and fast-growing sector. I was happy in my old job, but I wanted more. I like a challenge, so I decided to go into this relatively avant-garde field, as only two of us in France have this technology. I needed a format that didn’t interfere too much with my professional life, hence the gravel.

You got off to a promising start...
We missed the Causses round because we didn’t have the car or the gravel kit in time. We went to Castine without any previous test, and on the round I had the most trouble with, as the terrain was less suited to me. We finished eighth. At Langres, we led after two stages before a puncture. We weren’t prepared to change a wheel, so we lost the rally. We confirmed our speed at Lozère before another puncture. Finally, we were second at Cardabelles, 6.5s behind local driver Florian Condamines, before breaking a steering rod. The performance was there, the success less so.

You took it up a notch in 2023...
We started the year with a puncture and a mistake. I was disheartened and didn’t want to go to Aléria as the title was already out of reach. Chloé insisted, and the videos of the stages were highly appealing. I went just for the pleasure of experiencing this completely different rally, with some enjoyable technical stages. We finished third after being in the lead. That gave us a boost, and we had a great end to the season : we finished second in the Lozère and then fourth at the Cardabelles.

Enough to fully demonstrate your ambitions in 2024 ?
We wanted to return so much, even though leaving my job made it difficult. Chloé and I have temperaments that ensure we never give up. With our accumulated experience and speed, we had to be there. The first two rallies on the calendar are a bit of a bane for us, but the Causses was a pleasant surprise. We finished second, 10s behind Tom Pellerey, then fourth in the Castine. And we knew our performances would be better in the following three rounds.

Then came your first success in Aléria...
Like last year, we arrived in Corsica with our backs to the wall. It was win or bust, as Tom already had a win and a second place. In the end, the rally went very well. We could manage our race, even though Mika came back strongly when we lost time overtaking a broken-down car on the penultimate stage. However, in the final timed sector, we still managed to set the fastest time among the front-wheel drive cars despite the Rally4s. This first win was fantastic for us.

What happened next ?
With the worst result dropped, we were level on points with Tom. We went to Lozère hoping to gain the upper hand and avoid unnecessary pressure at Cardabelles. We’re beginning to understand this rally ; day one is the toughest. We managed our pace and found ourselves around 20s behind Mika and Tom, who suffered a double puncture at the end of the day. Our gamble was about to pay off, but a fuel pump issue cost us a minute and a half. After a few calculations, we knew that we needed to make up more than 40 seconds to move up to second place. And that’s precisely what we did with three stage wins before controlling in the final test. Once again, we ran well when we had to. I’ve always had too much of a tendency to try and anticipate everything. Maybe that’s also why I don’t go off much, but Jérémy Brissiaud [Fun Meca Sport team manager] told me to stop questioning myself and focus on driving.

You were still in contention before the season finale. How did you approach it ?
It wasn’t an ideal situation at the start of the Cardabelles. Tom had a lead, and we knew that we had to win with as many fastest times as possible to keep our chances alive. It was an extremely high-pressure rally. Even though I’d experienced it in mountain biking, the stakes were high. I’d been chasing this since 2015. I have matured, but I still have this desire for revenge vis-à-vis mountain biking. I can’t stop trying. Tom’s retirement made it more manageable, but that doesn’t mean it was a deal done...

How did you feel after that final stage when everything was decided ?
On the last day, we had to score nine points out of the 20 on offer. I thought that would do it, but the penultimate stage was stopped. We went for an intelligent pass, attacking where it was clean and easing off in the brittle sections to avoid punctures. We had to be in the top four. The more competitors passed, the better it looked, but the wait was never-ending. We kept checking the times on our phones for over an hour to see where the others were. We received confirmation of the title at the foot of the podium bus in Millau. It was hard, as our destiny was no longer in our hands, but that made it all the sweeter.

What have you learnt from your girlfriend Chloé, who has only co-piloted for you so far ?
Chloé has contributed enormously to this success. Like me, she doesn’t come from a rally family. We met in real life without ever planning to compete together. One day, my co-driver told me he wouldn’t be available two weeks before an event. I asked her, and she was up for it. She’s passionate about her job as a physiotherapist, but she is also an adventurer who loves excitement, adrenaline and competition. She’s intelligent and hard-working, so I knew she had what it takes for this. She helps me a lot on the mental side. When I’m pessimistic, she sees it and gets me going again. Despite her lack of experience, she’s an excellent co-driver, always on time and never late. And it’s also an adventure to do this together. She’s already told me she wouldn’t necessarily want to be to the right of another driver because she trusts me 100%. She forgets that I can make mistakes, but as they say, love makes you blind !

What have MSV Compétition and Fun Meca Sport done for you ?
My relationship with MSV Compétition began at the Rallye de Grasse with our F2/13. They were our service team, and we got to know Patrick Fotia. I discovered quite a character. He’s known for occasionally excessive energy, but he offered us all his knowledge by working with us on the car and set-up. He did everything he could to make sure we succeeded. That’s where this human adventure started, and I can still see him with tears in his eyes after our victory in Aléria. With Fun Meca Sport, the idea was to score points for the team in 2024 while working together. Everyone contributed their bit : MSV Compétition by always being at our side with a reliable car, and Fun Meca Sport with their undeniable Clio Rally5 experience. We had everything we needed to focus on our job, and we can’t thank them enough.

When did you realise you could win the title ?
Right from our second rally in Clio Trophy France Terre. Without much preparation, we were in the lead before getting a puncture. We came back to score nearly all the fastest times the next day. We knew then that we could do it. On the other hand, we also thought it would never be for us because we’d had so many mishaps in the first two years !

In your opinion, what are the main advantages of Clio Rally5 ?
The chassis is incredible. We’ve never experienced a dangerous or ‘unusual’ reaction over the last three years. We’ve never had an off despite a high pace. I could enter bumpy areas at a speed that was excessive in relation to the car’s dampening, as it complies with the specific regulations for its category, and it was surprising... It’s like a buggy flying on hoops ! It’s a sound car that lets you focus on driving. The performance has also been good, setting fastest times ahead of Rally4s. Moreover, the performance level is improving yearly thanks to the lessons we’ve learnt. Just look at Matteo Chatillon, who became runner-up in WRC3 straight after the Clio Trophy. Lastly, the car is cost-effective and incredibly reliable, given the number of entries in the Trophy and the low number of mechanical retirements.

With the title in your pocket, what does the future hold for you ?
We’re pretty tenacious, so Chloé and I don’t want to leave it at that. Apart from a stint in an Alpine, we’ve never driven anything besides a front-wheel drive car. The next logical step would be to switch to four-wheel drive. That will require us to adapt, but we really want to do it. I think that our title creates a slightly different dynamic around us. I want to take this opportunity to thank our main sponsor, Canatec, and all those who are supporting us and getting involved for next year. Things are gradually coming together, and I hope we’ll be able to announce a great programme. In any case, we want to compete at a high level and try to prove again that we can go fast. I missed out on a professional career in mountain biking, so I don’t know if we can say that it’s already too late in the world of rallying, but the idea is still to go as far as possible. Chloé and I often repeat a phrase from Eleanor Roosevelt that I first heard from Ari Vatanen : ’The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams’, so it’s up to us to make it happen !