James Thompson: “It all happened at the last minute”

Surprise guest at Münnich Motorsport, James Thompson is a famous name in international tourism. The 43-year-old Englishman accepted a partial five-event WTCR program despite a distinct lack of preparation. Interview with the two-time winner of the British Touring Championship, untroubled by the leap into the unknown

It's been a long time since we last saw you on a global level...
It feels good ! Last week, I received a phone call from René (Münnich, the boss of the eponymous team) who offered me this shuttlecock for five rounds. Everything was done at the last minute, I was only able to drive the Honda Civic Type-R in Barcelona (Spain) during the collective testing day. Storing kilometers promises to be a challenge given the weekend schedules (only two free practice sessions of 30 minutes each). But it's great to come back to world level, with all the young and old drivers!

Do you feel like the WTCR troublemaker? No one was expecting you there!
It's been ten years since I had a completely serious and well-organized program in the WTCC, since 2008, the year of my last full season. I was driving a private Honda (from the N.Technology team, 15th). There are a lot of unknowns on my side, so I'll just try to enjoy the meeting.

In 2007, you finished on the WTCC podium (3rd with two victories); will your WTCC experience be an asset in WTCR?
Hard to say. 2007 was still pretty special. We were a small outfit and we were fighting against the factory teams. The situation was different. I had plenty of time to conduct private tests, to try various mechanical parts, whereas here, I jumped straight into the car. Today, I am coming out of a break of more than a year without competition. That doesn't stop me from hoping to score some good results and help the team by collecting valuable points.

Would you be up for doing the whole season?
It all depends on René. It's his car, maybe he'll hire other drivers in the second half of the season. I don't want to force things. We will see how the situation develops. If he is satisfied with my work, we don't know what will happen.

You are one of the most experienced in the peloton; Does the TCR formula remind you of the heyday of the WTCC and BTCC in the early 2000s with more fights and less aero?
With the quantity of cars entered (25 in Marrakech), there will be fighting at all levels, and “old fashion” fighting with contacts. As soon as we pass twenty competitors, we always get great fights, not necessarily for victory, but in the peloton. It doesn't bother the public, as long as there is a spectacle to watch. This is what Tourism offers.