Prost: “A great capital of sympathy”

Two months after its kick-off, the Andros Trophy has just ended in Super Besse. What is your assessment after your first season with Team Dacia?
“I would say we are where we planned to be before the first race. We have achieved our objectives, even if we can always do better in motorsport. With a project started late and a brand new car to develop, we clearly had the role of challenger against perfectly experienced adversaries. Finishing in second place in such a tough championship is therefore a good result. »

Did the season start very well, since you won two victories during the first two race weekends?
“To challenge Jean-Philippe Dayraut for the title, we knew we had to be in the game from the first races and complete the first part of the season with as little delay as possible. With two victories in Val Thorens and Grandvalira, we respected our progress schedule. We planned to take a big step forward in the development of the car during the holiday season. But motorsport is not an exact science and we did not find the expected performance at this time. Jean-Philippe struck a big blow during the restart at Isola 2000. I think the Trophy was decided at that moment. We made a lot of progress in Lans-en-Vercors before winning a third victory in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. »

What did you miss to win the title?
“Simply time!” With seven meetings in two months, the Andros Trophy leaves the teams little time. It is almost impossible to do testing between two races. The Dacia Duster has enormous potential, which we have not yet fully exploited. Until the last race, we worked to understand and improve the car. We will now take advantage of the end of winter to analyze the stored data and test new solutions? Even if nothing has been decided for next season, we want to prepare for the future. »

How was Dacia?s arrival in motorsport perceived?
“The arrival of a new manufacturer was a good thing for the Andros Trophy and motorsport in general. This changes mentalities, it is not because a brand is ?low cost? that it cannot convey performance and reliability values! I felt great enthusiasm from the media and spectators, whether they are passionate about motorsport or not. Dacia benefits from great sympathy, reinforced by this commitment to competition. From this point of view, I think we have largely exceeded our objectives! »