Magny-Cours, Here We Meet Again
Twelve years ago I was a student intern at the Magny-Cours technopole, drooling over every car that hit the track. Today I'm one of them.
Thursday, March 24, 2022. After a few hours on the road I roll into garage 8. The team is there. I climb into the Lotus cockpit and immediately burn my hand on the exhaust. I keep quiet so no one worries, and the pain disappears as soon as Stephane takes Kai, Federico, and me for a track walk.
A Surreal Feeling
We have all seen Magny-Cours. F1 weekends, drivers walking the track with their engineers on Thursday to spot every detail. This time, under a mind-blowing sunset, I am the one standing on that mythical asphalt. It feels like a dream-impossible, unreal. The circuit that seemed so massive on TV suddenly feels intimate despite its staggering width. The curbs reveal their secrets, the shapes of the corners, the climbs and drops invisible on screen become real. A reality you have to absorb quickly. You feel humbled, walking where all those great drivers have walked, studying the same details they surely noticed.
For many fans, the weekend could have ended right there: I had the privilege of a full lap on foot. It hits me that very few people ever get that chance.
My Weekend Really Could Have Ended There
Friday morning, far too early. I barely slept. The first private session mixes every single-seater, meaning much faster cars will be on track with us. I'm nervous-my only racing experience is karting. Sure, there was the Volant Michel Vaillant x YEMA, but that program minimizes contact risk and everyone drives identical cars.
I squeeze into the car with a fair amount of apprehension. The goal: lock in Stephane's instructions and learn to drive in traffic. Learn to use the mirrors.
Four laps in, I'm following a newer Formula Ford and starting to trust myself. Imola goes smoothly, I push a few personal limits. The Chateau d'Eau corner: perfect. Lycee corner-there's a quick single-seater in the mirror but it's still far. Pit chicane-the car behind has closed right up, so I plan to move aside on the straight.
Time stops. A huge hit on the right rear as I bounce over the curb. I've been rammed. Did I cut someone off? I spin and stop in the middle of the track. The engine stalls. I wave frantically-terrified someone will hit me again. Yellow flag only? Not enough. Cars are blasting past and only see me at the last second. Finally a red flag... I can breathe. But I am ashamed. I remember what Alexis, who ran the karting circuit I used to haunt, always said: "If you get punted off, ask yourself if you put the kart in the wrong place."
I'm lost. I don't know how to help. I'm embarrassed. I feel guilty, and now I doubt my ability to race in a pack. Everyone tells me the other car was at fault, but I can't shake the feeling that I messed up.
Motorsport Is a Team Sport. Period.
I already knew it, but now I live it. Because in that moment the Classic Racing School team becomes a single organism.
Stephane, Pierre, and Julien focus on me-the "pilot"-and keep me steady while feeding me advice: how to handle traffic better, how to avoid repeating the same mistake. Meanwhile Coraline sprints around the paddock to source a welder. Antoine and Theo strip the entire suspension and disappear with the hub.
By late afternoon, miracle: the hub comes back welded and machined. The car is reassembled by nightfall. Without that coordinated effort I would never have made it to the grid. Classic Racing School is the reason I got to race.
Saturday morning, 5:30 a.m. My alarm goes off. Time for qualifying.
Qualifying - One Bite at a Time
The first challenge: the out-lap. Has the repair held? Yes. The car behaves exactly as before.
Then I gradually build up the pace. Lap after lap the times drop. I feel the rhythm returning. Magnetized by the track, I trust the car.
Seventh in class. Not the dream result, but not a disaster for a first outing with so little running.
Race 1 - Discovering the Peloton
I start cautiously. I need to finish, to learn, to rebuild confidence. The field is stacked with experienced drivers. I pick my battles carefully.
Lap times improve, I gain positions, but as the race unfolds my nerve fades. I bring the car home in one piece. P7 in class, 13th overall. Solid.
Back in the garage, the team debrief is direct. They know I can do better. We adjust the car, review data, watch footage. They highlight where I can brake later or carry more speed.
Race 2 - Lighting the Fuse
Sunday. I wake up hungry. I want to prove that I belong here. I want to reward the team.
We go through the start procedure. I visualize every corner. The lights go out.
The fire comes back just as strong. I fight tooth and nail with Eric and Michel Dupont, and halfway through I take the lead in class with a clean pass.
Throughout the race I shave a full second off my best lap and two seconds off my average pace. That's enough for the win in Category A and fifth overall.
So... how's the new Michel Vaillant album? Except it isn't an album-it's the start of my season.
Unbelievable, truly.
Thank You
In the heat of the moment it's easy to forget the people who made the dream possible. Proof: I only opened my phone on Sunday night to find messages from Jean-Louis Dauger, Michel Vaillant brand director: "Did you see your messages?"
Let me be crystal clear: before the Volant Michel Vaillant x YEMA, entering a race like this was unthinkable. Winning it? Even less so.
So thank you to the entire Vaillante Academie for everything you taught me in those three days.
And of course, a huge thanks to the partners who make the program possible. Without them, none of this happens. Jean-Louis and the Michel Vaillant brand, the Circuits de Vendee where the shootout takes place, watchmaker YEMA, and equipment supplier RRS, who kit out both the academy and me for the season. Special shout-out to Benoit Ricciardi for finding gloves in my size barely a week before the race. Thank you all.
Naturally, I can't end without thanking the incredible Classic Racing School crew.
Starting with the mechanics: you accomplished the impossible. Without you, I wouldn't have taken the start.
Coraline, Ariane-thank you for flawless logistics as always. Having nothing to think about except driving is an incredible gift.
And of course, massive thanks to Julien, Pierre, and Stephane for their support, kindness, and above all, their invaluable advice.
Bring on Ledenon so we can all meet again.
