Benjamin, how did you get started in rallying ?
It began as a family hobby. All my family did some, as did Florence’s father. That’s how we met. I got behind the wheel, first in hill-climbing, then Florence and I started rallying. We began by doing just one event a year in Sélestat, very close to home, before building up to the point where we decided to take things a step further and tackle the feeder series.

Why did you chose the Clio Trophy France Asphalte ?
We looked at the manufacturer cups that were around at the time. The Fiesta R2J was drawing to a close, and the 208 Rally Cup was too expensive, unlike the Clio Trophy. This option aligned perfectly with our budget. We made this choice and have had zero regrets.

What did you think about the Clio Rally5 ?
We weren’t disappointed ! We were mainly driving a 207 R3T, which got us accustomed to driving with a turbo, but we weren’t using it to the degree that we do today. By starting the adventure with the Clio, we were able to progress step by step. It’s the perfect car for learning or relearning the basics and honing your skills. It’s also a great way to get into the big leagues, through a superb promotional formula.

You summed up your title by declaring, "From the most amateur crew to the winning crew of the Clio Trophy France Asphalte 2023 and Best Junior". What do you mean by ’amateur’ ?
We bought the Clio and did the first season without touching the original settings, i.e. those supplied on delivery. Florence’s parents were following us since our debut with my best friend Seb. We were the five of us on the rallies, getting the Clio ready. We took care of the mechanics while discovering how a promotional formula works and feels. It was a bit like starting from scratch. This year, by comparison, we were in a team with an engineer and professional mechanics preparing a car with set-up changes from one rally to the next. There was also everything to do with rally preparation. At the time, we did the recce the weekend before the rally to ensure we had as many days off as possible for the rallies.

Despite that, your first season was quite promising !
We worked with Nicolas Klinger to look at certain aspects before entering the Clio Trophy France Asphalte. The most important thing was to get the pace notes right and to trust them because that’s essential if you want to be quick. We went back to basics to become more professional in our approach. We also took the opportunity to adjust our notes system. Nicolas told us that there would inevitably be groups of different levels and that we would first have to situate ourselves in one of them before trying to take the lead on the next rally. When we debuted at Mont Blanc, we were happy to be close to the top ten on stages that we were discovering. Then, our progress slowed in the Coeur de France...

That is to say ?
Let’s just say that a pole crossed the road ! In all seriousness, we didn’t do any testing before the rallies. I’d never done any drifting with the Clio. Because we wanted to do better than at Mont Blanc, we pushed until the car began to slide in a corner that we had taken a little too quickly. I used some opposite lock, but the car got away from me and ended up against a utility pole. With our good habits acquired when it snows at home, I got out to push the car with Florence behind the wheel, and we took off two or three minutes later. We finished with two top-three finishes in the final two stages. We were happy with our first season because we thought we’d be further down the order, and that made us want to work even harder.

What did this mean for 2021 ?
We joined TM Compétition, which helped us work and prepare our rallies and setups, but also improve during the rallies. Previously, we looked at the onboard cameras without noting what could be improved to go faster. Thomas Anacleto helped us with this, as did Cédric Mazenq with the setup. It was incredible to see just how much the setups can improve Clio Rally5’s performance. We didn’t get a good result in Le Touquet, but we scored our maiden podium with second place in Vosges, and I can still see Florence telling me to enjoy it because it will be our only podium ! The season continued with a puncture in Moyrazès in the Rouergue, sixth place in Mont-Blanc and then a second podium with third place in the Coeur de France. The finale was the Critérium des Cévennes, just our second rally in southern France. We’d done the Var in the past but didn’t enjoy it too much. Sadly, the rain and the bends were waiting for us, and I think I set off with too many preconceived ideas. However, we got off to a good start before the rally was cut short by the conditions. It made us feel better about this type of roads !

Was a new step reached in 2022 ?
We’ll never forget 14 February. We’d been in talks with Sébastien Loeb Racing, but it all came together on Valentine’s Day at around 7 pm. Florence and I were on our way to dinner when the phone rang. It was Dominique Heintz asking if everything was OK on our side. And so began the Sébastien Loeb Racing adventure. We had told them that our wedding was in a fortnight, so their instructions were not to communicate and to take a photo in a wedding dress next to the Clio to unveil this wholly Alsatian collaboration. It was a superb souvenir. We put the car under a cover in the city town hall to announce it to our friends and family, while our wedding photographer took the photo for the announcement. And our first test session with the team was the next day !

What were your initial impressions ?
We realised we reached another step. Everything we had learnt with Thomas continued to be improved, with an ever more professional structure and tools. But that added extra pressure. We had a modest showing in Le Touquet and wanted to perform well when we returned with Sébastien Loeb Racing. We arrived with the aim of finishing between sixth and eighth. We were in fifth place after the opening stage, just three seconds adrift of the leader. That was satisfying, but we blew a fuse on the next timed sector. Unfortunately, we had nothing for making the repair on-site, but that’s rallying sometimes.

Was finishing the season in fifth place, a little disappointing ?
Yes, clearly. We confirmed with a third place in Antibes and a fourth place in Rouergue, where we found out that Florence was pregnant during the recce. I was a bit worried during the first two shakedown runs when she was really pushing hard right from the start. Then we had to find a new co-driver. I had heard of Antoine Paque. We agreed to do the Mont-Blanc and the Cévennes, but it’s always strange when your habits change. In this case, it was the voice announcing the notes ! We had to establish these rituals with Antoine. It wasn’t easy for me and Florence, who was in the service park. My choice of tyres and driving style were a tad optimistic at Mont-Blanc. I hit the wet grass on the slicks, and we ended up on a bank. As we drive on snow every winter in our region, I had the right reflexes at the right moments to limit the damage, but the weekend was over. Lastly, we came up short of the podium by just a few tenths of a second at the Cévennes. At the prize-giving ceremony, I knew we hadn’t done better than the previous year. It was a little disappointing, but the team reassured us. Our times and results were generally much better, and Dominique still had confidence in us. He had told us, "One year to learn, one year to win". Despite the standings, we came out of the campaign stronger. It allowed us to see how the team worked, continue learning and improve in all areas. We discovered a Clio that was fantastic to drive and amazingly efficient. I also worked a lot on my driving, while my co-driver didn’t have much to work on !

Was the aim to put it all together in 2023 ?
Exactly ! We had to win ! We knew that the competition would be ready and that we couldn’t relax. From Le Touquet onwards, we saw a lot of contenders for victory, including our direct rivals. Thibault Raincourt was my co-driver, as my wife’s pregnancy was coming to an end the week after the rally. We asked at every appointment with the gynaecologist if it would be possible to give birth in Le Touquet, but she had to stay at home, and Mattéo wasn’t supposed to turn up too early !

How did the rest of the 2023 season go ?
We finished third in Le Touquet, I returned home, and Mattéo arrived a few days later. We then prepared for Antibes, where we achieved our target by doing better than the year before, finishing runner-up. We were satisfied, and then the long-awaited victory finally came in Rouergue. The rally took a different turn when Valentin Ascenzi went off. We were leading for the first time and had to cope with the stress and the emotions. We had to stay calm and avoid mistakes despite Arthur Pelamourgues’ fine comeback. This first success was incredible, but we wanted to build on it. We started preparing for Mont-Blanc as soon as we got home. We worked intensely on the cameras and pace notes for two months. We were 200% ready and our efforts paid off with the best time in the opening stage. We were completely relaxed throughout the rally, which we mastered from start to finish. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and secured the win. We learned of our titles at the finish, but we were waiting for confirmation from the organisers. It was a genuine source of pride and a great birthday present a few days early. It was a reward for all our hard work during a year when we had to adapt to our new life as parents. However, we weren’t totally free for the Coeur de France. We had to start the first stage to officially be crowned, and we needed to score points for the team title. We drove a good rally, even if we’d hoped for more. We really wanted to continue the adventure with Sébastien Loeb Racing, and our rivals dropped out one after the other quite quickly. We knew very soon what we had to do, and that was to make it to the finish.

When did you say to yourself that the title was in your grasp ?
After the Rouergue. We’d been leading the general classification for two rallies. I think that explains why we prepared so much for the Mont-Blanc. I said to myself that this had to continue. There was also the fact that we told our partners at a party at the start of the season that this was our year, and we’re only as good as our word !

Were there any moments of doubt ?
Yes, especially at Le Touquet, where I told myself it would be tough. The rally wasn’t easy with some tricky conditions, from greasy to wet. You often see on videos of rallies in the north of France that the roads become proper ice rinks as soon as it rains. With the bad weather, I may have put the brakes on, and that wouldn’t have been enough to win. However, I know that consistency is our strength and that the speed would come back with the work done with the team. It was when we felt it that the times followed, like at Mont Blanc, where we went for it. I think it was the best rally we’ve ever done.

How did you feel when you learned at the prize-giving ceremony that your official programme would be with Clio Rally3 ? Have you already tried it, and what do you expect from it in 2024 ?
It was an emotional experience. I’d had the opportunity to get behind the wheel during a short introductory session in Spain. I found it magical. It’s a supercharged Rally5 and much more than that. It should suit my driving style well, I believe. But I need more kilometres to get a proper idea. I’m not expecting it to be an easy season. There will be many new things to discover, understand and learn. I imagine the range of settings will be huge, and we’ll have to be on top of our game against competitors a year ahead of us. If our programme follows that of the Clio Trophy France Asphalte, we should be familiar with all the venues. But we’ll have to wait and see when our calendar is announced. We can’t wait to get into the Clio Rally3 and live the experience to the full.

Two months on, do you realise the extent of your performance ?
With the prize-giving ceremony in the wake of the last rally, we returned home with our trophies and put them on the television cabinet to display and appreciate them. There are also small moments, like an article in the local newspaper, posters and postcards for the people who follow us and our partners. I’m a diesel engine mechanic. I assemble engines that weigh between nine and thirteen tonnes. Florence is a nurse. We both have colleagues who are motorsport enthusiasts, so it’s great to share that with them. This week, we received an email asking for our sizes to have our Sabelt racing suits tailor-made for us, not to mention the invitation to the FFSA awards evening. It all helps to realise !

Could you have imagined such a scenario ten years ago ?
Not at all ! It’s funny because Florence recently did a TikTok on the ’first day at work’ trend, with a photo of our debut with the first racing suits we bought to start the rally together and then the picture of our title in Morzine. We said to ourselves that we’d come a long way and never imagined it happening.

What can we wish you for the next ten years ?
To be on the roads of the World Rally Championship, or at least to have a go on the special stages of the World Rally Championship ? That’s the best we can hope for. It’s up to us now !