Vaillante Académie – Become the next Michel Vaillant

We tried (and appreciated) the Vaillante by Crosslé designed by the Classic Racing School on the Charade circuit in August 2019 (Ah n°2230). Building on this success, the Vaillante Académie was launched with these Formula Fords (Crosslé 16F model) modified by the Northern Irish trainer across three circuits in the west of France (Ah n°2299). What could be more logical than bringing these two initiatives together? This is the idea that those in charge of the Clermont flying school and the owners of the brand, Michel Vaillant, Jean-Louis Daugier, Thierry Place and Tugdual Rabreau, had. The result: the Vaillante Académie, whose selections will take place on the Fontenay-le-Comte circuit (Vendée) from October 14 to 16.

“It is an event dedicated to gentlemen drivers, both women and men, aged at least 35 and who have little or no competitive experience, says Pierre Sancinéna, instructor for the Classic Racing School. We don't want to have experienced drivers, because our principle is to support the winner. What will interest us is therefore not the time but rather the progression curve between making contact with the car until the end of the selection. In this way, we stand out from other operations of this type. » If by chance you finished an FIA or FFSA championship in the top 10, please leave the field open.

The allocation is likely to make more than one person salivate. The winner will be able to play Michel Vaillant during the six rounds of the 2022 Challenge Formula Ford Historic season as part of the French Historic Circuits Championship organized by HVM Racing, i.e. the equivalent of 35 euros excluding taxes, transport of the car and personalized coaching included. But be careful, to slip into the shoes of the famous comic book champion, you will have to prove yourself worthy of the hero imagined by Jean Graton.

“We will also judge the reliability of the driving, that is to say not leaving the track or spinning over the planned 250 km of driving or the ability to progress on the heel-toe . We also want him to adopt the values ​​of honesty, courage and mutual aid specific to Michel Vaillant”, continues the pilot Alpine. Around fifteen candidates have declared themselves but there are still places left!

Information and registration on www.vaillante-academie.fr/volant-michel-vaillant/.