Endurance

18 12 2023

A Season of the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup through the Eyes of the Champion

Anthony Fotia made his debut this season in Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup, after several years in the European (ERC) and French Championship. The Nice-born driver entered the Stellantis Motorsport promotion program at the wheel of the PEUGEOT 208 Rally4 with the Sarrazin Motorsport Team. Winning 5 out of 6 rallies this season, Fotia was crowned champion of the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup in the reigning U29 Master class.

Anthony Fotia looks back on his first season with Stellantis Motorsport.

Anthony, you were crowned Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup champion before the end of the season, how did you feel in that moment?

“I’m super happy, this is a huge satisfaction for us. The goal this year was to win the championship and it shows that our hard work to be competitive paid off. I’m happy about this result and being crowned champion before the last rally was a fantastic and rewarding feeling.”

Can you tell us a bit about your season in the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup?

“The team and I, we came here to try to win in the U29 category and a program with the Citroën C3 ally2 next season. With Stéphane (Sarrazin), we agreed at the beginning of the year to race together, we did a few tests before the first rally to have the best performance possible to score points right from the get-go. We saw that there was a lot of competition, some teams already had quite a bit of experience with the car. I think that all season long we were quick on all surfaces, asphalt, or gravel. In general, it was quite a positive season. This championship is new for me, I discovered it, and I liked it a lot, I’m glad I made this choice.”

As you said, it was your first season in Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup, what do you think about this championship?

“This Cup is quite accessible for all kinds of drivers. The rallies are well chosen and balanced between asphalt (four) and gravel (two). The atmosphere is great, when we have our helmet on, we are all competitors but when the race is over, we are all friends again. It’s a great championship, and with an appealing prize at the end, which motivates greatly.

This is a competitive championship with a high level and excellent drivers. On gravel, I think at some point the level was the same as in ERC last year, it shows the high potential of this program. I’m glad to have been most of the time on top, it was a great season!”

You entered the Cup with a PEUGEOT 208 Rally4, what do you think of this car?

“In Le Touquet, it was the first time that I drove the car. It is easy to drive et very efficient. We worked a lot with the team on the set up to have the best performance possible. We never had any reliability troubles with the 208 Rally4. We never had any mechanical issues either, which shows how good this car is. I would recommend this car to anyone who wants to start in rally. Even for amateur drivers, the 208 Rally4 gives you confidence in every circumstance, which is not always the case with other cars. It’s a cost effective, affordable car, easy to drive even if you are a rookie driver.”

What stands out from your collaboration with Stellantis Motorsport this year?

“I loved working with the Stellantis Motorsport’s team, the Cup is not a promotional program like any other. With Stellantis Motorsport the customer service is always available; the top executives, the communications team or the engineers that are on every rally, come to see us to quickly debrief. We are not on the loose, we can feel the support of Stellantis Motorsport and the brands we represent, we feel acknowledged by the brand, and it gives us an extra boost of motivation. I am excited to continue this adventure next year with the Group.”

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NOVALAK Clément (fra), Peugeot TotalEnergies, Peugeot 9X8 #93, portrait engineer during the 2024 Rookie Test of the FIA World Endurance Championship, on November 3, 2024 on the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain - Photo Joao Filipe / DPPI

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