ERC – François Delecour: “At over 50, I’m still learning! »

For the 56th edition of the Tour de Corse, counting this year for the European Rally Championship (ERC), François Delecour was the only former winner of this event at the start. It was in 1993, as an official Ford driver, alongside Daniel Grataloup. AUTOhebdo interviewed him just after the event.

Should 1993 bring back good memories?
I remember more 1991, when I did great times with the Ford Sierra, which flew with its wide tires and without the clamp, or 2nd place in 1992 behind Auriol than my victory in 1993. I also a great memory from 1998 with the Peugeot 306 Max, when I almost won if McRae hadn't been reclassified. With Colin, we had a phenomenal drunk on the road to get back to Ajaccio! Something crazy that we can no longer do today.

But, in the special stages, the pace is still strong!
It's maddening to see how quickly things are going ahead! I was impressed by the times of (Craig, Editor's note) Breen, and (Bryan) Bouffier who did very well rally. And yet, I attack! Doumé (the nickname of Dominique Savignoni, his co-pilot, editor's note) can attest to this. You have to drive as hard as you would on a circuit.

A Top 5, in Corsica, over 50 years old, is that still a great result?
Even if the course is no longer comparable to what we did, it remains a very difficult race, given the weather conditions, with only two reconnaissance passages. My participation was decided a week before departure. So I didn't have time to try the new Michelins used in the ERC. I never liked soft rubbers, so I tended to use the hard ones. But the “soft” ones really surprised me a lot. I realize that at over 50, I am still learning!

Article published in the central section of Guide to the 24 Hours of Le Mans by AUTOhebdo (n°1910), available now on newsstands and on all platforms in digital version.