Pierre Campana is hoping to end the season on a high at Rallye du Var 22.11.2011: Pierre Campana is preparing for his final flourish of the incredible 2011 season by participating in this weekend’s Rallye du Var with Drive-Pro and the

Pierre Campana is preparing for his final flourish of the incredible 2011 season by participating in this weekend’s Rallye du Var with Drive-Pro and the MINI John Cooper Works WRC, with which Pierre has already taken three rally victories this year.


Since taking victory in the Richard Burns Memorial Rally in his debut outing with the MINI back in August, Pierre has added victories at Rallye Mont Blanc-Morzine and Rallye Cévennes, in addition to some highly accomplished and competitive performances in the World Rally Championship events in Germany and France.


Together with the honour bestowed on him by the FFSA as leader of Rally Team France, Pierre’s performances have allowed him to demonstrate impressive credentials as a WRC contender for 2012 but he is still pushing to end the year on a high note with another positive result at this weekend’s Rallye du Var.


Rallye du Var, the final event of the French Rally Championship, will have added appeal this year with the presence of some high profile WRC drivers which will create a WRC-level performance, raising the benchmark for participants. Pierre will be aiming to be on the same pace as the WRC competitors and to be in the mix for victory over the 12 stage event with four stages on Friday, five on Saturday and three on Sunday.


Pierre has already shown front-running pace at Rallye du Var having led the event for the past two years in the European Clio trophy and having been on the same pace as a certain Sébastien Ogier in 2010, himself at the wheel of an R3. The asphalt event is run on similar ground to the Monte-Carlo rally, an event that Pierre won earlier this year, so it will also be a valuable showcase for Pierre’s talents heading into 2012.



Pierre Campana: “It is hard to believe we are at the final event of the season. It has been such an enjoyable roller-coaster for me since I was given the Drive-Pro opportunity and the FFSA honour in the summer. Rallye du Var will be my sixth rally with the Drive-Pro team in the MINI John Cooper Works WRC and I can hardly wait to get started.


We have taken victory in three out of the five events we have competed in so far and the other two events were WRC rounds in which we still demonstrated an excellent performance level. I really hope we can add to these achievements at Rallye du Var. In the last two years, I have been leading the event, so I feel comfortable with the 12 stages and I will do all I can to make it a successful weekend.


Once again, I’d like to thank the Drive-Pro team and François Padrona for the support shown this season, and to the FFSA for their belief in me. Let’s end the year on a positive note together!”



François Padrona, Drive-Pro Team Owner: “At this stage of the year, our thoughts are already turning to 2012 as we seek partners to support our activities for the coming season. We have had a fantastic 2011 and I am looking to end the year in the best way possible at Rallye du Var.


I have obviously come to expect a lot from each rally and from Pierre, but that is a testament to the level of performance we have shown and the ability we have to fight for victory. Pierre’s performances in the WRC events in Germany and France were particularly special and exceeded our expectations for someone with such little previous experience.



 It will be a WRC level rally this weekend but that’s where we are, so I don’t think that will alter our approach in any way. We know we can battle with the best and we will do precisely that.”      

- Quadrasports also photo