Jean-Jacques Bénézet: “We are much more optimistic for 2022”

What is your assessment of this season?

The start was not what we wanted, given the situation, behind closed doors… However, all the drivers responded. It's exceptional, because in Châteauroux (June 5-6) there have never been as many people as this year. The desire for recovery was real. Subsequently, it increased to a crescendo with the gradual return of spectators to the circuits before they returned en masse in the second part of the season. Overall, we are very satisfied with a year that did not present itself under the best auspices. But we were not able to achieve all our objectives. With our partners, we wanted to do VIP, but we couldn't during the first two events and we were limited during the third. It wasn't what we hoped for. We are much more optimistic for 2022.

What did you think of the debut of Les Féminines?

There was a big battle between Camille Barbe and Alizée Pottier throughout the season. They may have been on top, but some girls managed to embarrass them a few times. Then, everything was decided during the last race. This division is close to my heart, because we must actively promote women. I recently spoke about it with the president of the FFSA (Nicolas Deschaux) and he was of the same opinion.

How is the 2022 campaign shaping up?

At the moment, there is no real official statement. One thing is certain, the project initiated to run Rally4s in Super1600 has been abandoned for 2022. But it will be studied again during the season for possible application in 2023.

Interview by Gonzalo Forbes