Campana reflects on breakthrough season

Pierre Campana brought his glittering 2011 season to a positive conclusion last weekend with another fine performance in the final round of the French Rally Championship, Rallye du Var. Campana finished in an encouraging fourth position after a stage-by-stage battle with some the World Rally Championship’s leading lights.

2011 has been a stellar year for Pierre with the Corsican star securing the prestigious honour as leader of the FFSA’s Rally Team France initiative, following in the footsteps of WRC greats Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier. The honour saw Pierre team up with the professionals at Drive-Pro to participate in the WRC rounds in Germany and France-Alsace, in addition to several rounds of the French championship.

While 2011 got off to a winning start for Pierre with 2WD victory in Monte-Carlo and a tremendous performance on home ground in Tour de Corse with Peugeot, it led to even greater things in the second half of the year, which Pierre thinks will be a valuable foundation for him heading into 2012.

Pierre, did you get everything out of Rallye du Var that you expected to?

“I have always enjoyed Rallye du Var and have always been competitive in lower categories, so I was aiming to show a strong pace with Drive-Pro and the MINI John Cooper Works WRC car. It was a generally positive weekend. The event had quite a WRC feel to it with the presence of Latvala and Tanak, and it was nice to be battling with them in all of the stages. I was definitely able to maintain a good, competitive rhythm and I was pleased with my performance level. The highlight was definitely stage 10 which I won and in which I felt best demonstrated my overall ability and potential as a top level rally driver.”

How would you summarise the season as a whole?

“I have had the best year of my career so far, without question. We started off 2011 with an entry into the Monte Carlo rally, which itself is an incredible event, and I won the 2WD class which was a very nice way to start the year. I then took part in the famous Tour de Corse with Peugeot, which is obviously very special to me coming from Corsica. That was a fantastic weekend and I was overjoyed to finish fourth overall. The big breakthrough came in the summer when the FFSA made me lead of their Rally Team France programme, which was an incredible honour for me, especially looking at the likes of Loeb and Ogier who have come through the same initiative. Working with Drive-Pro has been fantastic and I cannot thank them enough for the support they have shown. I have had the chance to showcase my talent on a WRC stage and we have come away with some promising results and strong performances.”

Did any performances stand out for you?

“The work with Drive-Pro and the incredible MINI John Cooper Works WRC car has been a learning curve so we have been making improvements all the time. For sure, the WRC round in Germany was special because it was my first WRC event and I acquitted myself very well against the tough opposition. Then, scoring points in Rallye France-Alsace was amazing. Overall, I have won half of the events I have taken part in with the MINI this year after the Richard Burns Memorial and wins in the French championship rounds at Mont Blanc and Cévennes, but perhaps most importantly I have a 100% finish rate which is something I am immensely proud of. All of this combined shows that I am ready for a full WRC campaign in 2012 and am capable to delivering results.”

What are the plans currently for 2012?

“First of all, I have to say thanks to the FFSA, Drive-Pro, Prodrive, my management team and all of the partner companies who have given me such vital support this year. I’d also like to thank Peugeot for their valuable support at the start of the year; I had a great time driving the car and some great results, including victory in the Schio rally. With Drive-Pro, I have thoroughly enjoyed the range of events we have taken part in and I would love to continue driving the MINI which I have acclimatised to fully. We are working hard to secure a full WRC programme for 2012 and I know I am ready for it. On the back of this breakthrough year for me, I hope that next year will be bigger, better and even more successful. I have shown my ability around the tough Monte Carlo course which be quite similar for 2012 so I am a trusted pair of hands for that event and I hope I can take part.”