J.-P. Pernaut has fun as Andros

Jean-Pierre Pernaut, involved in Andros Trophy for several years, is once again present this season on the ice of ski resorts. Presenter of the 13 p.m. news on TF1 during the week, “JPP” swaps his suit for a pilot’s suit at the weekend. Eighteenth overall in the qualifying heats of the first Alpe d?Huez race on Friday, the driver of the No. 1B BMW Series 10 then won in the 2nd Elite final, ahead of Gérald Fontanel and Anne- Sophie Lemonnier (BMW Series 1). Despite a more complicated Saturday, the media man is having a great adventure in the Andros Trophy.

“It went very well for me,” he confided for AUTOhebdo.fr before recounting his victorious final, from which he started on pole. I would rather follow someone than be in front. When you are in front, you have to save your tires for the next day while trying to adapt your pace to those who follow. But I had fun and I managed not to do anything stupid, which is my first goal. I was following Gérald Fontanel, who is a stablemate, in my mirrors. But there was no great risk for me. »

Unaccustomed to riding in front, JPP admits that it was not easy for him to manage the peloton. “When you're behind, it's easier because you follow someone and wait for their mistake. So you adapt your speed to the driver in front of you. When you are in front, you have to lead the way. It's less easy but, ultimately, during our final, we did the same times as the pilots in the Elite Sup finals. »

A professional journalist but regular in Andros for several years, Jean-Pierre Pernaut confides that he continues to progress throughout the races. “Every year, we learn, especially by watching the pros evolve,” he explains to us. What's quite funny is that I remain quite low in the ranking because everyone is progressing! »

But the ranking is not the motivation for Picard, who above all wants to have a good time with a pilot who is dear to him. “It brings me the pleasure of riding with my son, of sharing a common adventure with him. In the general classification, he is far ahead of me and that's a good thing. I watch him progress. I also come here to please myself, for relaxation and fun. It must also be said that it?s fantastic to ride in the same discipline as three World Champions (Alain Prost, Jacques Villeneuve, Ari Vatanen). There is such a plateau that it?s an immense pleasure for me. »

Jean-Pierre Pernaut also fears competition from one of these three champions who joined the Andros Trophy at Alpe d?Huez. “When I saw Ari Vatanen arrive, I was very scared, I said to myself “another place lost in the general classification”! And then, the first day, I was in front of him. It is a discipline in which you have to take your bearings to find the right trajectories and the right settings. Being in front of him is an immense pleasure even if it won't last. »