Yohan Rossel: “We will all be champions! »

First of all, on behalf of the entire editorial team, congratulations on your recent union with Liza!

Thanks, that's nice. We have been together for 12 years and it has been a very pleasant time.

Despite everything, leaving immediately afterwards for Barum, in a country where girls have the reputation of being very pretty, what better honeymoon could there be?

Shhh! Above all, don’t call him to tell him! (Laughs)

What motivated this participation in the Czech Republic with a Corsa?

Opel Motorsport contacted us to promote their electric car. Opel being part of the same Stellantis group as PSA (of which Citroën is a part. Editor's note), we accepted. It’s another good experience in a very difficult event that I competed in 2019.

AUTOhebdo has set up a subscription to try to help you supplement your budget in order to try to win the title of WRC3 World Champion. Why was it relevant to follow you?

This is a question that is not easy to answer. I think there are two or three French drivers aiming for the highest level in rally. My two compatriots are WRC and I only have one ambition, which is to join them! This includes the title of WRC3 World Champion this year. The end of the season is approaching, we are in the lead and we only want to continue.

How difficult is it today to obtain budgets to play in the World Cup?

Sponsors are not easy to find in motorsport. However, there are some who are mobilizing for young people like Citroën which has done a lot for me. There is also the FFSA which intervenes every year with Rallye Jeunes. I can also cite M-Sport which works for aspiring pilots. I believe there is a lot of talent, but places at the highest level are very rare.

Concretely, how do you do it?

I invest a lot of personal money. This requires enormous sacrifices on my part and that of my partners. It is clear that we will not be able to do this every season. When I see the enthusiasm that the operation with AUTOhebdo has triggered, it’s fantastic. People help us with donations of 50, 100, 200 euros… and no one can imagine how valuable this support is!

For what reasons ?

In the budget, there are things that are very expensive and then there are everything that is essential to spend a full year and which also represents significant sums such as hotel rooms, plane tickets... I find that this is what AUTOhebdo wanted to say by trying to include everyone in this challenge. In the end we will all be champions and not mainly me. Thanks to reader contributions, we may be crowned at the end of the season, which may allow us to move on to the next part. It’s a project for everyone, and when it was offered to me, I was enormously and very pleasantly surprised. With our success in Ypres, we tried to thank the people whose enthusiasm touched me and I thank AUTOhebdo infinitely for this initiative. I had never received such interest as that experienced after our victory.

How will the end of your season play out?

We are going to compete at the Acropolis (September 8-12, Editor’s note), then we will have to make a decision. We will have already raced 6 rallies and will only be able to choose one to score points, Finland or Catalonia. Spain is not too far away, it will almost look like a round of the French championship, but going to Finland would also be good for our learning. To return to what I said at the beginning, the investments are so important that it is difficult to plan for such a long term. Let’s have a good Acropolis Rally already. Then it will be time to see. My goal is to fight overall at the wheel of a Rally2 and try to aim for another title. I have the impression that there are quite a few things that can be unlocked for next year. I believe that with what we have demonstrated this year, we can expect an interesting program for 2022, but I remain cautious.

Visit the KissKissBankBank participatory platform to support Yohan Rossel in his quest.