ERC Sierra Morena – Yoann Bonato: “The course looks magnificent”

Partnered with Benjamin Boulloud, Yoann Bonato is preparing to discover the Rally Sierra Morena, which is making his debut in the ERC. Accustomed to occasional appearances in this competition in recent years, the French drivers expect a close battle within a quality field.

Published 02/04/2025 à 18:19

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ERC Sierra Morena – Yoann Bonato: “The course looks magnificent”

With his Citroën C3 Rally2, Yoann Bonato intends to make the most of his stint in the ERC (Photo: Bastien Roux/DPPI)

You who enjoy doing some freelance work in ERC, how do you approach this? What did the journey inspire in you?

It's always nice to pack your suitcase for a destination we don't know. The fact that this is a new event for everyone in the ERC pleases me a lot. I watched the videos of the stages sent by the organizers and I thought they were magnificent. They look like roads with old and fairly smooth tarmac. I hope I'm wrong, but it seemed to me that the apexes will not be easy to negotiate, especially when it comes to punctures. It reminded me of Catalonia a long time ago where you sometimes had to dive down very high steps. In racing, you're always hesitating between having to follow the tracks or stay in the gravel.

What did reading the list of Sierra Morena entrants inspire in you?

It's going to be splendid! There's a huge field in which it's not easy to place yourself. It's often like that at the start of the season. I'm also curious to see who the contenders for the championship will be. Stéphane Lefebvre will be competing in several rounds. He might be able to aim for the title.

Should we put you among the potential winners?

It will depend on the top speed of the Spanish riders. If guys like José Suarez or Pepe Lopez know the terrain well, they will be at the forefront. It's a bit like if the European Championship came to Mont Blanc...we would be favorites there. As for the competitors we have already met in the ERC and who will have the same knowledge of this terrain as us, we should be in the game.

What will be your goal in Spain?

When we play in France, we aim for the championship and this sometimes requires us to maintain a certain reserve as was the case at Le Touquet. At the end of rally, we were ahead of our main rival and I didn't want to take all the risks to try to dislodge Stéphane from the first place. It will be different in Spain where we will be able to ride completely freely. We always try to do our best and if we can play our card until the end, we will not hold back.