David Salanon: “The Coupe de France sticks to my skin”

How are you spending your time with all these cancellations and postponements of rallies?

It's delicate. Over the last two months, we have driven very little, but we must admit that we have been at a standstill for almost twelve months. I no longer feel this build-up of pressure when preparing for the race, then during the rally. I love this sport which offers an adrenaline rush comparable to no other discipline. However, I still think about the race, so I keep myself busy by watching videos. Like everyone else, I'm impatiently waiting for the situation to clear up.

This year, you were involved in a double Championship and Cup program. Is the crisis calling into question your ambitions?

À ce jour, nous n’avons que très peu de visibilité sur le calendrier. Les organisateurs font le maximum pour conserver ou trouver une date de report, que ce soit pour le Championnat ou la Coupe de France. Pour cette dernière, nous naviguons dans l’inconnu. Rien n’est remis en cause, notamment le programme en collaboration avec M-Sport et TM Compétition. Nous avons l’objectif d’amener la Fiesta Rally2 à la Finale de la Coupe de France et de la remporter.

You have long insisted on entering the French Championship – until 2017 – with your Fiesta WRC which scored fewer points than the cars in the Rally2 category. For what ?

There were several factors. Firstly, I bought the Fiesta WRC in 2014 with the aim of returning to some rallies initially. At that time, the WRCs scored the same number of points and there were some great fights. I had set myself a long-term program, but at the end of 2015 after my first victory at Var, I learned that the WRCs were going to score fewer points than the R5s in the French Championship. However, as I am a fervent defender of these cars, I decided to keep the Fiesta WRC by entering the first four rallies of the 2016 Championship. It went well with two victories and as many second places. Unfortunately, I find myself 22 points behind Sylvain Michel who, in addition to his speed, scored the maximum number of points with his Fabia R5. Without a poor performance from Sylvain, the title was no longer within my reach. In Antibes, I won the rally and yet Sylvain Michel scored one point more than me. It was clearly the extinction of the WRC. Everyone advised me to move to the R5, but I first had to find a buyer for the Fiesta WRC which was no longer attractive in these conditions.

Find the entire interview in AUTOhebdo No. 2306 available in digital version.