Ingrassia and Catalonia: “An unfair side where you cannot rebuild yourself”

Faithful co-pilot of Sébastien Ogier (Citroën) throughout his sporting career, Julien Ingrassia knows the rally of Catalonia (Spain) for having competed in it 11 times with three successes (2013, 2014, 2016).

The 39-year-old Frenchman remembers his first departure beyond the Pyrenees. It was in 2008, at the time when the French duo had the ambition to win the Junior title WRC (JWRC) with a Citroën C2 S1600.

“We had done the hardest part during the season and there, in quotes, we just had to conclude, he remembers. But we came out on a big patch of gravel and we had to abandon. 

It put a lot of pressure on our shoulders for the next meeting in Corsica, where we absolutely had to be at the finish in order to score the few points we were missing to be crowned.​

So, we drove to the Isle of Beauty with a car full of emergency parts. Our C2 S1600, it looked like the Citroën Racing store”, laughs Julien Ingrassia.

The Aix co-pilot also does not forget another incident experienced on Catalan soil: the accident in the last special in 2015. “We have seen over the years that (this test) could play tricks on us and bring his share of surprises. »

Fortunately, there is no shortage of good memories either. « We were world champions there in 2014 and 2016., and it was definitely a great time! This also means that these were titles acquired before the end of the championship, which is no small thing. 

Proximity to the French border (less than two hours) also encourages supporters to make the trip, to the great pleasure of Julien Ingrassia. “There must be pictures of me with an old blue white red hat from a rugby team.​

My friends put this on my head during the final interview at the finish of the Power Stage in 2016! »

Fans can also observe the modifications carried out by the mechanics at the service park when moving from the first stage (on dirt) to the next two days (on asphalt). 

“It’s always nice for the public to see the mechanics working for an hour and a quarter and switching the car from the gravel configuration to the asphalt configuration. It’s impressive and highlights the work of the team. This also shows that the car is easily transposable”, He considers.

But this characteristic poses a sporting challenge. “With a first day on land and the problem of opening the road or not, you can lose a lot of time, fifteen, twenty or even thirty seconds, which you will never be able to make up for on the asphalt because the differences are much smaller there.​

You fight with tenths on the tarmac when it's with seconds on dirt. That’s the unfair side of this rally where you can’t recover. »