Paul Dachicourt, winner of the Clio Trophy France at the Vosges Grand Est Rally: "A kind of dream come true"

At 23, and co-driven by his 21-year-old sister Adèle, Paul Dachicourt has just secured his first victory in the Clio Trophy France. He, who had ambitions to challenge for the title at the end of the season, scored some very valuable points here, while his rivals stumbled in the Vosges mountains.

You have just won your first Brand Cup victory. How do you feel?

It's fantastic! It's a dream come true. We've been chasing this for over a year and a half, going through some tough seasons before even starting in the Clio Trophy France, so this is incredibly satisfying, a source of pride, and proof that the team's dedication has paid off. I'm so proud of what we've achieved, and we're now eager to continue the season and try to ride this momentum.

The crew you form with your sister is quite unusual! Does that help you have a better connection?

Of course, it helps! Adèle and I know how to communicate. Sometimes, without saying a word, we manage to understand each other. Our relationship logically allows us to lift each other up and constantly progress…

With your second place in Le Touquet and the setbacks of your competitors on the Rally Vosges Grand Est, you've just pulled off a superb performance in the championship. Can we now consider you title contenders?

Yes, and in addition to these performances, we also have the Performer points we earned both at Le Touquet and here, which puts us in a very good position considering the circumstances of the rally. A lot happened at this Vosges Grand Est Rally, and to be perfectly honest, we announced from the start of the season that we were here to fight for the title. So this victory doesn't change our objectives for the rest of the season, although it certainly helps to strengthen them.

To win in Vosges Grand Est, you had to spit in your hands to go after the Fagnone family: what was it like mentally?

The battle was interesting. We led all day Saturday, we were comfortable, but a puncture in SS6 penalized us. We found ourselves thirty seconds behind, so everything had to be done again.

Sunday was all about attacking, but at the same time, we had to manage our championship position. We couldn't afford any mistakes, because the various incidents during the race gave us the opportunity to widen the gap on our rivals. So we had to manage our lead, but we also had to push hard if we wanted to win: it was difficult to gauge our strength. Our mental fortitude allowed us to grasp all of this and not falter, maintaining the right strategy throughout the day and taking things one stage at a time. It paid off.

You achieved your best result of the season last year at Rouergue, which gives you reason to be confident about the next round?

We finished fifth, but a lot happened. Given the circumstances, we could have done even better, but a few small things prevented us from achieving a higher result. Overall, it's a rally that suits us quite well. We know we can be fast there; it's not our preferred terrain, but we're ready and confident about this rally.

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