Local man Nicolas Bernardi and co-driver Denis Giraudet, won the Junior World Rally Championship [JWRC] category on the Rallye Monte Carlo at the weekend. 🐎Here they reflect on their success and look ahead to the rest of the year...

Q:
Nicolas [Bernardi], you started the rally and then set some fantastic times in the fog♛. How did you manage that?

Nicolas Bernardi:
Denis helped me a lot in keeping my concentra🧜tion. It is a difficult rally. I know the roads because I am from this region, especially regarding the third leg. The important thing was to have a well-balanced car, an🐷d it proved crucial in the fog.

Q:
Denis [Giraudet], we've been used to seeing yo🌱u with Didier Auriol recently and have a lot of experience. What do you think of you🌟r new driver?

Denis Giraudet:
When you are the winner of su🐟ch a difficult event, you are for sure a very good driver, so I am happy about that. The stages are not as much fun than in WRC cars of course, but when you see on the time-boards that you are fighting with somebody, it's much better than being in a slow WRC.

Q:
Nicolas, you are from here. How much hel♚p does that give you?

NB:
It definitely helped me today [Sunday] in the Turini, but in other stages I think the drivers wh♏o raced here last year know them about as well as I do. I was lucky to be able to set a good pac🙈e this morning, giving me a safety margin, and that was the main difference compared to other drivers.

Q:
Denis, what are the m𓂃ain differences between a Super 1600 car and a WRC car?

DG:
During the first le𝓡g, the main difference was the tꩵraffic on the road because many spectators had already left, and we got caught in some traffic jams. More seriously, on slippery uphill roads it's not much fun, but in the downhill with a good driver it is fine.

Q:
Nicolas, what are your plans now for the rest of the c🙈hampionsh൩ip? Do you feel as confident on gravel as you do here?

NB:
My experience is seven or eight years spent rallying, 70 per cent of which spent on tarmac. In France I got used to do a single r♉un during the recce, and it is a valuable experience. I don't think I am bad on gravel anyway.

Q:
You participated in s꧃ome races last year in the Super 1600 category. This year, you are competing in the whole Championship. There are some new cars. Do you think the level is higher than last year?

NB:
It is difficult to say. You have to reach the finish line. Some people made more mistakes than we did. The competition will be tough this year, with man﷽y drivers able to win races. I꧑ hope it will go on like here.