Mehdi Bennani on the upswing ahead of Russia!

With two top 10 finishes in the latest World Touring Car Championship event, on the legendary Nordschleife, Mehdi Bennani and Sébastien Loeb Racing have once again found the right rhythm. Following their established line of conduct – between ambition, humility and a willingness to progress – the Moroccan driver and Alsacian team take on the second third of the season with a renewed sense of motivation. Their eyes are now fixed on Moscow Raceway (June 6-7)!

Following seventh and sixth place finishes at the Nürburgring, including a victory in the Independents Trophy, Mehdi Bennani renewed his confidence in Germany. He is currently only three points from first place in the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy following arguably the most difficult round of the season. Now the driver of the No. 25 Citroën C-Elysée will head to Moscow Raceway. "It’s a very technical circuit with a lot of curves," explains the Moroccan driver. "On a similar track, in Hungary, we had a difficult weekend. Our car is sensitive and many parameters come into play. We learned a lot after Hungary and the Nürburgring so we will look to capitalise on those good points. I also think that the round at the Nordschleife reinforced our team spirit. It’s such a demanding circuit, where there is heightened tension and stresses, that it’s very important that the driver and team mesh well. We had a good race weekend and that shows everyone’s hard work. This allows us to look to the future in good form."

Mehdi Bennani, along with team co-founders Dominique Heintz and Sébastien Loeb, has fixed himself the goal of a top five finish. But that’s not the most important objective, with final goal lying elsewhere, as he confirms: "A top five is realistic but I prefer not to talk about a precise finishing position to reach for. Although I know the circuits, I’m rediscovering them with the Citroën C-Elysée and that requires a certain amount of adaptation that must not be underestimated. My hope is to use the maximum potential of the car, but for that we must progress during the weekend, from the test to the start of the race, including practice and qualifying, where we must be 100%. We must be ambitious, which we are, but also humble. I’m convinced that it won’t be long before we get an excellent result and confirm all of the work we have been doing at Sébastien Loeb Racing, but we don’t want to put pressure on ourselves! I don’t want to tell myself, ’I have to reach such and such goal at such and such time.’ That would be counter-productive. Our approach is more general, with the goal of constantly improving ourselves in order to accomplish our medium to long-term objectives."

Ninth in the overall classification, only four points from eighth, and second in the Independents Trophy, three points off the leader, Mehdi Bennani had a podium finish at Moscow Raceway last year, finishing first of the Honda entrants.

Sébastien Loeb Racing is expecting a busy weekend on June 6 and 7. Alongside the Citroën C-Elysée entered for Mehdi Bennani, the Alsacian team is also supporting the Ma Qing Hua entry for Citroën Racing, currently classified in fifth place in the championship.