Benoît Nogier: “Rediscover the spirit of customer competition”

How is it that we find Clios at the start of the Rally from Mexico ?

8 months ago we wanted to start opening new markets and we came to Mexico where we had the opportunity to start a partnership with the organizers. They were interested in the appearance of new, simpler cars in order to expand their field. We are therefore present with the first five copies. We think she can do a rally like this, even if we don't start with the easy way as the terrain is so demanding! This will give us a little perspective on what she is capable of. Succeeding in having five clients, when little information has circulated about her so far, is already satisfying. They trusted us. The goal is to soon have them throughout Central and Latin America. The idea would be to organize a Cup there, so we will quickly tackle the circuit part of this project.

Can you tell us about this Clio R3T?

This is the car with which Florian Bernardi opened the Monte-Carlo Rally. This is a new car and it can do Rally, track and Rallycross. The Rally5 corresponds to the old R1. There has, however, been a technical evolution. It is now possible to have a sequential gearbox and the power is a little higher, because we can use 1,3 liter turbo engines. Performance should therefore be on the rise. At the same time, we can make modifications to the running gear to make them stronger, which was the weak point of the R1s.

Does the philosophy seem very different from what you did previously?

We wanted to create a simpler, more affordable product, because we noticed that with the Clio 4, we had reached a limit. Young pilots, who are the core business of Renault, ended up no longer wanting to race with our cars because they found them too complicated. There was a real desire to return to these competitors, even if it meant having less efficient cars than in the past. We fully assume this. Also in terms of price, there is a big gap since this Clio is priced at 42 euros excluding tax on tarmac, where we were close to 000 euros with the old R100T.

We find the R5 GT Turbo spirit?

When we thought of this Clio with its 1,3 liter engine, it reminded us all of the days of the GT Turbo, yes. This is clearly the good example if we want to compare with what has already been done at Renault. There is a dirt kit and an asphalt kit. It is possible to move from one category to another without involving many changes.

What are you going to organize in France?

The first rally event will be Antibes (May 15-17, unless postponed. Editor's note) and today we have more than 30 competitors planned. At the end of the season, the winner will win an official wheel with the Clio Rally4 in France. In the Teams championship, which will be set up, the team that wins will ensure the 2021 program with the Rally4. We are focusing on asphalt, but personally I want to see it run on gravel where I think it will have its say, the drivers being very satisfied during testing. Cups will also be organized in Italy and Spain where we hope to bring together around fifteen competitors with a bonus system at the end of each race, so that the crews can finance their season.

What can you say about this Clio Rally4?

We will market it in 2021. At the moment, the development is still in the computers, but we are starting to assemble the first car. It will be a “notch above” the Rally5 and customers will be able to upgrade their version to this Rally4. The first tests are planned in 4 to 6 weeks. Our goal is to approve it between January 1 and March 1, 2021. The Touquet rally 2021 seems to be a good objective, but we are also thinking about fielding it as the opening vehicle in Monte-Carlo, because this year's operation was very positive.