Pellier ecstatic at Junior ERC prize

The Frenchman, along with star co-driver Marine Pelamourgues, capped off a dominant year by clinching the FIA Junior ERC title with one round to spare at last week’s Barum Czech Zlín. 

The Opel Corsa pair won their category by over one-and-a-half minutes to mark their fourth triumph of the year. Pellier’s prize package will enable him to graduate to the world stage, with a fully supported drive in next year’s FIA Junior WRC. 

Speaking to FIAERC.com following the win, Pellier admitted his excitement for the future - stating he had previously targeted a Junior WRC campaign but, at the time, was unable to find the necessary budget to do so. 

“For sure, it’s just an amazing way to access the Junior WRC,” he beamed. “It’s like a dream come true. Three years ago, I started to work on a programme to compete there, but it was not possible for me. Now, I am really excited.”

A roll at Tet Rally Liepāja was Pellier’s only real blip of the season, although the 27-year-old explained how the Czech fixture was probably his biggest challenge to date. 

Not only had he never driven the Corsa on wet asphalt - he also had no previous experience of Pirelli’s super-soft compound tyre.

“It was so tricky,” he explained. “We discovered the car in these conditions, because I had never driven on completely wet roads. I also never drove before with super-soft Pirelli tyres.

“When you go into a stage with completely no idea what will happen, you need to have good confidence and stay focused. But we made it, and now we are champions - it’s just crazy.”