The French Fantastic Four ready to look for the laurels at home in WTCR
Four French drivers hope to fight for victory in the first coming of the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup on their native soil.
Nathanaël Berthon, Yann Ehrlacher, Yvan Muller and Jean-Karl Vernay are all in the running for honors at the Circuit Pau-Arnos. Here is what they said.
Nathanaël Berthon (FRA) Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport / Audi RS 3 LMS: “I know the circuit is in France and I know it takes six or seven hours by car to get there but that’s all I know! It’s really good for the circuit to host the WTCR and it’s good to race in France. We have prepared well but we also have to adapt quickly. But it’s actually one of my strengths I would say. I can adapt very quickly to new tracks, which I think comes from the Andros Trophy that I do in winter. When you run on ice the track changes all the time and you have to adapt very quickly. But the other drivers will adapt quickly too, because all the drivers are very talented in WTCR. Of course, I want to do well in France and be the best of French pilots. We are working hard and the car should be suitable for the track. There are very short turns and in fact we have a pretty good spin with the car in the short turns. I will share all the information I have with my teammates and we will do our best to get a good result. ”
Yann Ehrlacher (FRA) Cyan Racing Lynk & Co / Lynk & Co 03 TCR : “The last time the WTCC was in Pau, I was at school, I was still very young! We did a few laps a few weeks ago in a Mitjet to learn the circuit but this is the only real knowledge I have and what I saw on the internet because it is 900 kilometers from my home. But even when a track is completely new, in 10 laps we should be at our maximum potential. As always, we’ll do a one, if not two walking tours to see all the borders and all the things we need to know before we start the weekend. The laps we did with the powered Mitjet were just to learn the circuit and get familiar with the atmosphere and the scenery. The circuit is not very well known, it is small but it is interesting and it will be good to have a real qualifying lap there and without a long straight, it will be good for our car. Since entering World Touring Cars I have never had the opportunity to race at home, so it will be good to meet the French fans and promote our sport in France. Winning is important everywhere but it will have a special meaning if we hear the French national anthem on our native soil, it will be a highlight in our career. ”
Yvan Muller (FRA) Cyan Racing Lynk & Co / Lynk & Co 03 TCR : “Someone told me that I raced there in F3 in 1991, but I don’t really remember and I certainly don’t have the advantage of being at home! It’s an old-fashioned circuit, quite fun to drive from what I saw when I was there two weeks ago driving a Mitjet. It’s a circuit that goes up and down, quite narrow in places, with one or two places to overtake, which will make qualifying super important. It will be good to welcome other friends to the circuit and it will be good to hear more French accents in the paddock. I also like the region of southwest France where they have a lot of heavy food like in the eastern part of France, where I’m from! ”
Jean-Karl Vernay (FRA) Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team / Hyundai Elantra N TCR : “I have never raced on the Pau Arnos Circuit but I went there a few years ago to develop the brake pads for the F3 Euroseries race in the city of Pau and I went there a few weeks, like many pilots, to find out where things are going. I can’t remember the last time I raced in France so I’m really happy to be back. I love the Pau region and hope I will see some of the fans I met when I won races in the city of Pau in Formula 4, Formula Renault and Porsche Cup. It’s seven hours from Lyon, my city, but it’s really cool to go there. ”
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