Ehrlacher: “I want to win even more”

The countdown is long. Unlike other championships which should resume in April, the WTCR will have to wait until June to make its first laps, on the Nürburgring circuit. In the meantime, reigning champion Yann Ehrlacher has begun his preparation for his fourth campaign.

With the countdown to the new season underway, how do you stay in shape?
“I train a lot on my bike, covering 250 kilometers a week. But when it's too cold outside, I have my home trainer so I can bring my bike inside. I also use a cycling simulator so I can cycle with other guys, like Bebu [Néstor Girolami] and it's quite fun. Soon we will start testing for the new season, trying to develop new things on the technical side. »

Does winning the WTCR title give you the belief that you can confirm it?
I don't want to continue my success, I just want to earn more, that's all. When you win, once you realize it's possible, you really think you're champion again. But then there are a lot of things to put in place to be champion and you think about all these things. Because you realize it's possible, it's a little easier to think about it and look forward to trying to become champion again.

Will the pressure to defend your title be more than winning the title in the first place?
The pressure is more on myself. When you have a good year, you are always afraid of doing a little less the following year. If I have a little pressure, it's because I want to deliver a little more than I did last year. My only goal is to be happy with the work I do and I have no pressure of what anyone else will think if I'm champion or not because I once was. It's just from my side that I'm happy with what I deliver

After winning the title, how can you deliver more?
There were some errors. Even if we win the championship, there was maybe one race or another that we could have won and I made a few mistakes in qualifying. Okay, I didn't have the most wins during the season, so I was a little disappointed about that, but in the end the main thing was to win the title. Now I want more in terms of maximizing my chances and my work to make sure everything is done the right way. Even if we win, there were a few mistakes that I don't want to make again.

Do you think your lack of experience contributed to some of the mistakes you mention – you're still only 24 and have been a latecomer to some of your rivals?
I think it can come from experience, it can come with a little bit of confidence. At this level, it is not easy to perform the perfect trick. Sometimes when you want to get a pole in WTCR you need the right car and for everything to come together perfectly as the gaps between each car are so small. This is something I need to focus on. I was progressing during the season but at the end of the year in Aragon, when we were thinking more about the championship than anything else, we finished qualifying in P2 with a lot of pressure. It was maybe the best qualifying I've done, so I want to continue that momentum.