Benjamin Veillas: “I am very happy to compete in this legendary event”

How did your preparatory tests for New Zealand go?

It was quick ! After three months of abstinence, this made Sébastien and me very funny. It was on a really fast path, in the rain, in the trees…but it went well.

How was your pilot?

He was relaxed, smiling, happy to be there. He was looking forward to being in New Zealand, which is a good thing. We chatted a bit about the future, which is always nice, and we also went back to Kenya where it hadn't gone very well for me.

How so ?

I made small mistakes. Not in the notes, but inexperience which meant that everything was not perfect and that displeased me. They were subtle things, but they still happened. We talked about it and Seb is well aware that in fact I lack experience and that I cannot be at his level or that of Julien (Ingrassia, Editor's note) by doing so little testing and test. It's not in 3 races that I can assimilate everything. I also think I started the Safari with a lack of confidence.

Did you seem happy to discover Kenya?

It's true that initially the idea appealed to me a lot and then the date of rally got closer, the more images I looked at, the less comfortable I felt. I went there with apprehension. On the on-board cameras, we had the impression that it was straight ahead, but in fact there were lots of things to announce and these times didn't excite me. Apart from an area or two, I honestly didn't like it.

What made you so unhappy?

I loved the welcome of the people and the landscapes. From this point of view, it was a great rally. However, from the reconnaissance I didn't like the special stages. This is why I am absolutely delighted to return to an event with real times. I'm super impatient.

What does New Zealand mean to you?

I've never been there and in my mind, it's a race where you can have maximum fun on roads with these helical turns. There are sections by the sea like Whaanga Coast which is also very winding, but some sections are also very fast and the car should jump from one curve to another on nice dirt without the stones of Portugal for example . I'm really looking forward to it. It's a legendary round. I'm really happy to be at the start and to win it would be even more memorable.

What is your experience with events where this takes place?

I've competed in Finland several times so it should be fine. After looking at the images, it makes me think of Australia and the most beautiful stages on this surface that I have competed in my career are those around Coffs Harbor in Australia.