ERC – Léandri does it again with Saintéloc Racing

A solid driver in the French Rally Championship, Jean-Mathieu Léandri continues in 2013 the adventure started last season with Saintéloc Racing. But the Corsican driver is changing dimensions and is entering the European Rally Championship this year. His program will revolve around five rounds on asphalt, at the wheel of a Peugeot 207 S2000, and three rounds on gravel, in a Peugeot 208 R2. In addition to Jean-Mathieu's car, Saintéloc Racing will take care of the program led by Peugeot Sport en ERC, the Peugeot Rally Academy, preparing the 207 S2000 of Craig Breen, official Peugeot Sport driver, and Jérémi Ancian, as well as the 208 R2 of Stéphane Lefebvre.

“I am very happy with my first season with Saintéloc Racing, so it was logical to continue together,” explains Jean-Mathieu Léandri. Reliability has always been there, I drove a competitive car, while having experienced no mechanical problems. I rode with very good teammates like Cédric (Robert) and Mathieu (Arzeno) and that will be the case again this year in the ERC, since Saintéloc will prepare the official Peugeots of Craig, Jérémi and Stéphane. It’s a dream come true for me, he continues. After having driven for several years in the French Championship, I am impatient and very motivated by the idea of ​​discovering the European level. I am even happier as I am going to compete in the Tour de Corse, my heartfelt test. There are other great rallies, such as the Sanremo or the Rallye du Valais, and I can't wait to be there. »

If the Peugeot 207 S2000 no longer holds any secrets for him, Jean-Mathieu will have to face many challenges. “We are not starting from scratch but we have a lot of things to discover, starting with the events, except the Tour de Corse. I will also learn on gravel, a surface that I only encountered at the last Rallye des Cardabelles. This year, we are going to expand this part of the program so that I gain versatility. We chose a car that was less powerful and more suited to my knowledge of the terrain, the Peugeot 208 R2, to compete in these events. It?s a very good car and perfect for this challenge. » For this 2013 season at European level, Jean-Mathieu Léandri will be accompanied by a new teammate, Renaud Jamoul, who knows Saintéloc Racing well having co-driven Mathieu Arzeno last season. “I needed an experienced co-driver to take over from Pierre-Marien Leonardi, who cannot be at my side this year. I think Renaud is the ideal person to help me progress at this level. Together, our objective will be to get closer to our teammates on the asphalt and gradually gain strength on the gravel. I am very proud to take part in this European program and cannot wait to start the season. »

Sébastien Chetail, director of Saintéloc Racing, is delighted that the adventure continues between the team and the driver, moving to the European level: “We are very happy that Jean-Mathieu was able to make this program a reality in the ERC. Sainteloc Racing being the team representing the Peugeot Rally Academy in the ERC, he will be able to benefit from the experience of his teammates, including Craig Breen, team leader and whom Jean-Mathieu knows very well having driven at alongside him last year. We hope that this season will live up to our common hopes. » The program of Jean-Mathieu Léandri and Renaud Jamoul will begin from March 21 to 23, with the Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés (Spain). They will carry out a day of testing on the Monday preceding the event at the wheel of the Peugeot 207 S2000.

Jean-Mathieu Léandri's 2013 program:
March 21-23: Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés (Spain)? Peugeot 207 S2000
April 25-27: SATA Azores Rally (Portugal)? Peugeot 208 R2
May 16-18: Tour de Corsica (France)? Peugeot 207 S2000
June 27-29: GEKO Ypres Rally (Belgium)? Peugeot 207 S2000
July 11-13: Rally San Marino (San Marino)? Peugeot 208 R2
September 13-15: Rally Poland (Poland)? Peugeot 208 R2
October 10-12: Sanremo Rally (Italy)? Peugeot 207 S2000
November 7-9: Rallye International du Valais (Switzerland)? Peugeot 207 S2000