Bennani: Morocco is watching me

For Mehdi Bennani the opening event of the 2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship takes a special meaning.

Not only it is run at Marrakech, but also marks his first appearance at the wheel of the new Honda Civic TC1 racing car.

“It is a very special event for me, because I am the only driver representing Morocco, Africa and Arabia in a motor sport World Championship. And on top of this, I have the luck that one event takes place in my own Country. Something that is not the case for many other drivers. And thank to the races in Marrakech, people feel interested and the WTCC is becoming more and more popular in Morocco.”

This start of the season is especially tough for you because your car was only ready a few days before the race. Does this worry you, at least for the first races?

“The start of this season is going to be tough for all the drivers due to the technical regulations changes. The teams have worked flat day and night to develop the cars in view of the races at Marrakech. As for me, I have the additional task to re-discover how to drive a front-wheel driven car after I drove a rear-wheel drive one in the latest years. But I had the opportunity to attend the tests of Honda’s factory drivers, Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro, and realized that Honda is working hard to make the Civic a competitive car.”

As the championship kicks off in Marrakech you have to face a lot of pressure.

“I can feel that all eyes are on me. And I am strongly motivated to make my best and try to be as fast as possible to please my countrymen. My goal is to be competitive with the top drivers and achieve the best possible results. I know that the whole people of Morocco is watching me, and so I try to keep my head cool and focus on what happens on the track. Since the end of last season I have worked to be physically and mentally prepared for this event, I just need to convince myself that this is only one of the twelve events of the season…”

Proteam Racing is the second independent team to run the Honda Civic.

“Proteam Racing might be a small structure, but the team members work hard and with a lot of passion. Valmiro Presenzini created Proteam Racing in 1997 and in 2005 he entered the FIA WTCC. In 2008 and 2010 they won the Yokohama Trophy title. This is my fifth season with them and I owe a lot to Valmiro and his team, as they are largely responsible for my success in the WTCC to date.”

The race in Marrakech marks the debut of a new generation of WTCC cars. How do you judge the championship’s technical evolution?

“This is certainly a positive evolution for the championship. The cars have more power and a better look, while the arrival of an international motor sport icon like Sébastien Loeb will attract a larger number of spectators at the tracks and on TV. I am convinced that a bright future lies ahead for the WTCC.”