Patrick Gaillard: “Without the readers of AUTOhebdo, I would never have made it to F1”

Hello Patrick, thank you for welcoming us to your Var retreat. The small backcountry roads aren't too complicated with your imposing Dodge RAM?

It's much easier to handle than you might think! (Laughs) This RAM is the choice for the countryside and the practical side. My wife and I spend a month a year in Lozère, on the Aubrac plateau, and that allows me to put the bikes and all the gear in the pick-up. And then, I love the United States, especially the central and southern states. I'm less of a fan of the east and west coasts, which are a bit too European for my taste. I love the heart of America, and I feel like I'm in it a bit when I'm behind the wheel of this RAM and I hear the sound of the 5,7-liter V8.

Is it motorsport that introduced you to the United States?

Absolutely, and with a journalist from AUTOhebdo by the way! With Pierre van Vliet, we went there in 1979, to Laguna Seca (California), where I was competing in a Can-Am race. We left together: plane to Los Angeles and meeting with Chuck Jones, the co-owner of Ensign. He welcomed us at his home and kindly lent us a car with which we crisscrossed the entire West for a week. We visited a few ghost towns, traveled through Yosemite Park where, I must say, our red car did not go unnoticed. Yes, it was a Ferrari. (Laughs) It was during this trip that I literally fell in love with the USA. We go there twice a year, for road trips where we primarily target the "gravel roads" (editor's note: gravel roads) which are very passable and not just reserved for 4x4s...

Have you always lived in the countryside?

No, I am originally from Paris. I left the capital in