Patrick Rouillard after the Rhône-Charbonnières Rally: "There is still a lot of work to be done"

Unfortunately, you have once again experienced mechanical problems on this Rally Rhône-Charbonnières, even though you managed to reach the finish line. What conclusions do you draw from it?

I'm disappointed to have broken a driveshaft on the first stage, but we'll put that aside and focus on the second day. I was able to drive and rack up some mileage, which is a positive. Of course, in the New Start category, you can't take every risk. Also, we were on the same tires all day Saturday. Nevertheless, we set some pretty good times, better than with the Citroën C3 Rally2 last year, and we know we still have room for improvement with this car for the rest of the season.

You made the choice to return to Porsche 10 years after moving to the R5 / Rally2 class. Despite these problems, are you satisfied with this change?

The enthusiasm surrounding this car is undeniable, that's a fact. With the Citroën C3 Rally2, people ignored us. We were just another Rally2 crew among many. But with the 991 GT+, we can feel the impact. For our partners, it was therefore important to be able to restart for the second leg, as well as for the test drive. Because, obviously, after all these years in four-wheel drive, there's a long way to go!

What points have you already identified?

For the moment, the steering is very "truck-like"! There's still a lot of work to be done, including adding a larger steering wheel and rethinking the hydraulics. But as we saw at Rhône-Charbonnières, there's real potential. I think it could become something really great if we put all the pieces together.

What are the main differences, behind the wheel, between what you felt in R5 / Rally2 and what you feel today with your new car?

What's most impressive is how suddenly everything hits you. It's a completely different way of driving. With the Citroën C3 Rally2, the goal was to maintain maximum speed through the corners. Now, with the Porsche, it's true that the straight-line speed is surprising: I need to recalibrate my brain!

ALSO READ > Raphaël Astier after his victory at Rhône-Charbonnières: "Everything fell perfectly into place"