My First Day as Michel Vaillant

The First Victory Was Showing Up

A little over four months ago I was not in a great place.

Worse, the Volant Michel Vaillant x YEMA shootout was approaching and I did not even want to go. Career changes combined with personal challenges were shaking up my routine. I always felt-without truly believing it-that I might be slightly above average behind the wheel. Not a prodigy, but with the right training, mentorship, and a head start when I was younger, maybe I could have shined a little. That never happened.

Now picture me at the shootout, surrounded by passionate drivers who had already logged real seat time, suddenly discovering that I did not have that natural ability.

It could have crushed me. Going meant risking the collapse of the one dream that kept me afloat when I badly needed a boost. My morale might never have recovered. Thankfully, that is not how it turned out.

A bit of mental prep and three days at the shootout later, I earned the right to represent Michel Vaillant by winning the 2021 edition organized by Classic Racing School and the Vaillante Academie.

I did not see that coming.

Honestly, it still has not sunk in. Nobody around me can quite process it either.

Surreal chat with a friend (not exactly a motorsport nut):

"Hey, guess what? I'm doing a season in Historic Formula Ford!" "So... not karting anymore?" "Nope, real deal." "You're going to look like... what's the name of that comic-book driver?" "Michel Vaillant?" "Yeah, that one!" "Actually, I need to tell you something..."

Four months on, the shootout gave me:

• Proof that I really can do what I thought I could.
• Desire-lots of it.
• A professional reset (everything was fine; my perspective changed).

Close Encounters

Facing the car for the first time hits you hard. Drive that? Me? Are you sure? Because I just spotted a scooter outside the workshop, and that seems a lot safer...

That's pretty much what I think even before a kart race.

This time it is different. Winning the shootout legitimized my place in the cockpit. That feeling is new. I'm used to being the outsider: the guy who is not supposed to be there but will squeeze every ounce out of the opportunity.

That mindset carried me through my first kart race in 2012 and every race since.

This time seasoned professionals tell me: "Relax, you've got this."

Still strange. But even better: I'll have technical support and proper gear.

Big League

In amateur karting most folks run with minimal equipment. There are always a few hardcore racers who buy full FIA suits only to end up in the gravel at Turn 1, but most are regular people sacrificing a lot for a podium-sleeping in their cars, living on plain baguette sandwiches to save every euro.

I was usually a notch better off, but still closer to that world than the polished paddock of a national series.

Here it's another universe entirely. Classic Racing School sets me up like a pro. Fitted gear, immaculate cars, expert staff-it feels like stepping into a comic book panel.

Logistics Worthy of a Factory Team

I arrive wearing the colors of Vaillante, RRS, and Yema. The team handles everything: car prep, schedules, catering. I just need to focus on driving.

The Classic Racing School crew and Vaillante Academie are a well-oiled machine. From mechanics to coordinators, everyone knows exactly what to do. Watching them work, you realize how much professionalism goes into making a weekend feel effortless for the driver.

Mental Load

Physically, I'm ready. I've doubled down on training-cardio, strength, neck work. Motorsport is intense; I refuse to let fitness be the weak link.

The mental side matters even more. The shootout taught me I can rely on it. I visualize relentlessly-three to four weeks out. Headphones on, I build mental movies, brutally realistic, with no shortcuts.

I picture every scenario: ultra-late braking while staying precise, missing a shift but holding the line, getting passed and instantly plotting a counter. I run through every corner, every situation. It takes ages, but it works. It's what makes me a strong outsider.

That is the mindset I bring to Magny-Cours.

Let's be honest: against drivers who have been honing their craft for twenty years, I am not there yet. But mentally, when the lights go out, I change. That rush is why I race.

It is the same feeling that helped me win the shootout, that helped me set fastest lap in my very first kart race. That hunger is addictive.

What's Missing?

If the mental game is solid and the body holds up, all I need is more seat time and technical polish. Fortunately Classic Racing School has my back. I lean on guidance from the team, the coaches, even Pierre Sancinan when he checks in from afar.

We dissect lines, car behavior, corrections. The car itself is beautifully balanced-more forgiving than the Crossles. You can tell Classic Racing School knows their setup craft. It inspires confidence, and they look after everyone, not just me.

I've logged half a dozen 20-minute sessions at Circuit du Bourbonnais-about race length each time. I'm still off the pace of Stephane Brunetti, my on-site coach, but my lap chart shows steady progress and tight consistency.

The track is technical and, to be honest, a little intimidating with its cambers, blind braking zones, and old-school layout-straight from the asphalt into the dirt. Zero margin for error.

It feels a world apart from the excellence of the Circuit de Vendee. The track is fine, but the Vaillante Academie benefits from top-notch facilities, perfect for schooling and understanding a single-seater's limits. Vendee is impeccably maintained and made for this kind of training. You could not ask for better.

Two Weeks...

Free practice at Magny-Cours will be critical given the room I still have to improve.

Until then, it's onboard videos on repeat. Memorization is not optional-the next time I strap in, it's race day. I need to be ready.

Two weeks will feel long... Say, YEMA, any chance you could make those watches run faster?