Fabien Pailler claimed his first European Championship victory at Lohéac on Sunday. The two-time French champion won all three of his knockout races, holding off Johan Kristoffersson in the semi-final and Andreas Bakkerud in the final. Fifteen years after his previous success at the Breton circuit, the victory rewarded a team whose early season had been blighted by recurring technical problems.
Third overall in qualifying behind Kristoffersson and Juha Rytkönen, Pailler had already shown he had the pace to run at the front. The challenge was to turn that speed into results in the head-to-head races. After winning his quarter-final, the Frenchman came up against Kristoffersson in the semi-final.
“Even the semi-final felt surreal. I genuinely mean this: I didn’t think it was physically possible to beat Johan Kristoffersson. Since the start of the season, he has looked like he’s on another planet. Everyone says it and thinks it, and it’s true. Johan is a monster. No one was more surprised than I was to see that we could match his pace.”
Six laps with no room for error
Yet the Renault Mégane driver held on to the lead all the way to the finish, setting the fastest lap of his semi-final in the process.
“The semi-final was where I pushed hardest all weekend, because he never let up. There was no room for error, and I certainly wasn’t holding anything back.”
The condition of his tyres at the finish showed just how hard he had pushed to hold off the Swede.
“In six laps, I absolutely destroyed my tyres. I had fitted fresh tyres for the quarter-final, but the front-left was already badly worn by the end of the semi-final. That shows how hard I had to push to keep Johan behind.”
In the final, Andreas Bakkerud took over as the pursuer. Pailler held him off too, once again setting the fastest lap on his way to victory.
“Winning here is just crazy. When you’re on the lap of honour and you see the crowd cheering you on, it’s incredible. I still feel like I’m on another planet. What has just happened hasn’t really sunk in yet.
“How long will it take me to come back down to earth? I don’t know yet. The way it all happened is just crazy. To have won fair and square, on track and on pace, is what makes this victory so incredible.”
A double anniversary to celebrate
Until Sunday, Pailler’s only victory at Lohéac had come in 2011. Fifteen years on, the Breton won this “rallycross event of the century” as the meeting celebrated its 50th anniversary. Pailler Compétition was also marking the same milestone, giving his first European victory added significance for the family.
“There’s so much symbolism in winning here. We’re celebrating Lohéac’s 50th anniversary and Pailler Compétition’s 50th anniversary, and a Breton has won. It’s brilliant. The stars have aligned in an incredible way. It feels like it was meant to be. It’s just crazy.”
The emotion continued on the podium as the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, rang out.
“Hearing La Marseillaise was incredibly emotional. When I watched other podium ceremonies, I sometimes thought how proud a driver must feel to have their own national anthem played for them. Experiencing that myself was absolutely amazing. It was crazy, almost unreal.”
Pailler knows how financial constraints can shape a career, regardless of a driver’s potential.
“Yes, absolutely. I think we could have achieved some great things as a team if we’d had more resources, but those are all ‘what ifs’… There are so many drivers across Europe and around the world who might have had the potential to compete in World RX in its heyday. Budget plays a part too. Some make it, others don’t. That’s how it is.”
Lousada with a weight off his shoulders
Next comes Lousada, a circuit he has never visited. The Portuguese double-header will present a fresh challenge, but Pailler will approach it free of some of the pressure that had built up before his first European victory.
“I’ve never been to Lousada, not even as a spectator. I don’t know the circuit or the place at all. We’ll arrive there with a weight off our shoulders, that’s for sure. We’ll be able to enjoy it.”