Yvan Muller on his extra challenges
World Touring Car Championship leader Yvan Muller is embarking on a number of exciting challenges outside of the WTCC later this year. We asked Yvan about them, and his mentality about strong team mates.
TcT: In your WTCC career, you’ve always had very strong competition from within your team. This year, with Huff and Menu, with SEAT, Rydell, Tarquini and Thompson – at Vauxhall in the BTCC, Thompson again and Jason Plato. Do you like the challenge of having very strong team mates, or is this just coincidence?
“I always ask when I arrive to a team to have a good team mate, because if your team mate is good, you have to be even better – and thus go up the level of the team so it’s important to have a good team mate.”
TcT: You’re taking on a number of extra assignments outside of the WTCC this year, the V8 Supercars Australia race at Surfers Paradise, TC2000 at Buenos Aires, and now the World Rally Championship with PSWRC, why are you take on these challenges?”
“To be honest, I don’t know!” said Yvan.
“No, I do all these things because I have the proposal, and hundreds of drivers would be happy to be in my place to have these kinds of proposals. Even then, I have to refuse a lot.”
“That’s why even Bathurst, I had to say I had no time to do that, but I will go to Surfers Paradise. I will go to Argentina, but this is because we’re going to have a race over there…and rally, it was an opportunity, it’s not too far from where I was born.”
Yvan’s extra activities in 2010, WRC, V8 Supercars and TC2000
TcT: Rallying though must be an extra special challenge, there aren’t many drivers who successfully cross between the two, and it’s not a whole season, it’s just one rally?
“For sure, the rally is something totally different to circuit. I have very small experience on rally, as I did five rallies, but it was between 2000 and 2005, so my expectation is not to win the rally for sure, first, I don’t have the car for that, and for sure not the level for that.”
“My expectation is to get to the end and have a good place if possible.”
Yvan went on to summarise.
“It is a massive challenge, but then it’s a massive challenge to do Surfers Paradise, it’s a street circuit and I haven’t driven the car for five years. But, it’s more easy for me to do that than the rally.”
Yvan will take part at his home rally in France of the FIA World Rally Championship at the end of September with the Petter Solberg World Rally Team, with backing from MotorsTV in a Citroen Xsara, then Surfers Paradise on October 23rd-24th with the Castrol Racing Team in a Holden Commodore VE in the V8 Supercars Australia Championship, and then finally the TC2000 championship at the Buenos Aires 200km for the Elaion Chevrolet team in a Chevrolet Vectra – all whilst completing the remainder of the FIA World Touring Car Championship with the Chevrolet Cruze.
