Sarah Rumeau: "To end on a high note"

How have your last few weeks been since the “forced break” from the program?

They've been very long! This period hasn't necessarily been easy to manage, and even though Julie and I have a great support system, there was a lot of uncertainty in the air… We took advantage of the time to work on different aspects, such as our physical conditioning, but also our note-taking – a necessary refinement for the future. So we're very happy to be able to get back to the end of the season. This sport is wonderful, but it can all end so quickly; we're aware of that, even more so now. We have to make the most of it.

Even though your season is not yet over, what conclusions can you draw from it?

Overall, the results are positive. We had a very busy schedule, with many races spread across three separate championships. We focused on the French Gravel Rally Championship, where we were often in contention for the podium and felt comfortable on all the rallies. It's a shame we had a few minor setbacks, like at the Terre de Lozère where we broke a shock absorber… In the French Asphalt Rally Championship, we only competed in three events, with very promising time gaps per kilometer, even though we sometimes had some bad luck: a mechanical retirement at Le Touquet, a mistake at the end of… rally At the Rhône-Charbonnières Rally, we suffered a puncture on the very first stage at Mont Blanc… That's part of the sport. Finally, in WRC2, the results are once again very positive. We went there primarily to gain experience for the future, as these rallies are much longer, more demanding, and require considerable preparation beforehand. We also had to manage the significant road deterioration after the WRC1 cars had passed through, which changes the profile of the stages. We still have a lot of work to do to reach the level we're aiming for, but we're both very motivated to improve further. We stuck to our roadmap and intend to make the most of all the experience we've gained this season.

Photo B.Roux / DPPI

Is a podium finish at Terre de Vaucluse the main objective for the end of this season?

As always! We're not obsessed with it, but we definitely want to achieve the best possible performance there. That would help us enormously in preparing for what's to come. We can still finish on the championship podium; so we're going there with the desire to score as many points as possible. We've prepared well for the rally with successful tests this week: everything is on track!

You recently participated in the Fiorio Cup in Italy, aboard a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. How did it go?

It was a fantastic opportunity for us to participate in this event, and an honor to have been invited by the Fiorio family. It was also a great chance to rack up some miles in a car other than our usual C3. I found it easy to get to grips with, despite not having driven it before the rally: very efficient, incredibly maneuverable, and truly agile. We had a lot of fun driving it, and that's something we really needed!

There are already some prospects for 2026, with or without Iron Ladies ?

During this break, we had time to reflect on many things… Two people are supporting us and helping us progress; they believe in us, and with them, we've already started working on 2026. The idea, of course, is to return next year, and we would love to do so with Iron Dames. We share many values, and we hope to build an ambitious program with them for next season, in order to achieve great results together!

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