Q&A with Pierre Campana

Looking back at his outing in France

By Franck Drui

10 October 2011 - 18:30
Q&A with Pierre Campana

The rally driver they were all talking about at the recent round of the World Rally Championship at Rallye de France-Alsace was 26-year-old FFSA-backed Pierre Campana who stunned insiders and onlookers with a performance worthy of a veteran rally driver.

The rising star ended the challenging 23-stage rally with his Drive-Pro MINI John Cooper Works WRC in an incredible tenth place before being elevated to ninth place after a lead competitor was disqualified for a regulation infringement. It was a potentially career-defining performance for the young Corsican and his co-driver Sabrina de Castelli as they look to get back to WRC action at the earliest opportunity.

Pierre looks back on his only his second WRC participation with justified pride.

Pierre, you must be thrilled with your performance in France-Alsace?

“On the one hand, I am really pleased because we have scored our first ever WRC points with Drive-Pro and with the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. On the other hand, reviewing the weekend, I know there are things I could have improved and time I could have gained to make the result even better. Having said that, this is all part of a learning experience with the backing of the FFSA to learn and improve, which I think have done well and demonstrated with my performances.”/i>

What areas particularly do you think you could have improved upon?

“There are always things to improve and time to be found, but particularly on the first day, I think I was a bit too cautious. There was also a big issue with the perimeter poles around the apexes that moved after the lead runners had gone through, meaning I had to take extra care since I was unfamiliar with the route. Nonetheless, it was all part of my learning curve.

How did the weekend continue from your point of view?

“After Friday, I knew I had a top ten pace, so I deliberately adopted a more aggressive style which certainly delivered results. I was constantly in the top ten; SS13 was a highlight because I set the fifth best time and was right on the heels of the official MINI driver. That allowed me to enter the top ten fight, which continued into Sunday with another good run of stages. It was a great atmosphere and a wonderful event so I was extremely pleased to score points in only my second WRC event.”

What does the future hold for you now?

“These two WRC events with the FFSA, Drive-Pro and driving the MINI have been amazing so I cannot wait to get back to WRC. We had hoped to participate in Spain but could unfortunately not secure enough financing for that event, so we had to withdraw our entry. However, I do know that I will be taking part in two French Rally Championship events at Rallye Cevennes and Rallye du Var, so I will be definitely keeping my rally craft sharp. I hope I have shown people in WRC what I am capable of in just two events. I certainly feel that I can do much more and feel already at home in this challenging and competitive WRC environment.”

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