Gérard Camilli: “What fascinated me, and still fascinates me, is tuning the cars and advising the drivers”

Hello Gerard. Could we really meet anywhere other than Winfield's?

It's a name that is dear to me. The school no longer has anything to do with the one I knew, but it is in very good hands with Frédéric Garcia (president) and Anne-Charlotte Remy (general director). I had never visited the new premises, so this was the opportunity. My own Winfield was located at the “S” level of the Glassworks. Today, they are maintenance buildings.

Before you tell us about Winfield, can we ask you what brought you to motorsport? 

The motorbike ! However, I quickly realized that I was not good at it. I loved it, but I realized it wasn't for me. So, I turned to the automobile industry. When I expressed to my father my desire to ride competitively, he told me that he was willing to accommodate me and feed me, but that, above all, I would not tarnish his name. He was a soldier who had nothing to do with the world of motorsport. The first car I bought was a Fournier-Marcadier F2, not really an everyday vehicle! I stored it with a mechanic friend, with whom I prepared it to compete in the Céreste hill climb (Alpes de Haute Provence. Editor’s note). I only had her, it was my only wealth. To bring it to Céreste, I towed it with a rope from Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône). Then my father-in-law found me a sponsor, “ Les Pognes Marius ”, and I bought a Grac. I built it from A to Z. Enter