Mehdi Bennani chasing works drive for 2017

Morocco’s Mehdi Bennani can’t wait for the 2016 season to start, especially after the welcome addition of two team-mates with Tom Chilton and Grégoire Demoustier at Sébastien Loeb Racing, and says he’s chasing a works move for the 2017 season.

“It’s good to have two team-mates, we do a lot of debriefs together and share data, so that is positive”, said Bennani to TouringCarTimes. “For sure our category is the WTCC Trophy (independents), but our aim is to fight for podiums like last year and fight at the front. I think the independents fight even more than the works drivers, because our battle does not stop at the chequered flag. It carries on trying to find the budget, the right conditions to drive and so on. We are surely not here to make up the numbers, we want to go for our best.”

When asked if he will try to make use of the reversed grid to start in front for the first race, in the new format for this year, the driver was not sure: “I hope I will not need any tricks. Hopefully we will be at the front regardless of what we do, sheer performance is the best way to make people realize how good you are.”

Bennani was clear to state he wants a works drive, and also had a look outside the WTCC, though his aim is to stay in the championship.

“I don’t want to stay in the WTCC Trophy for life. For sure my aim is to start seeing a new step in my career as soon as possible, I want to be a factory driver, like Hugo Valente and Norbert Michelisz. Hopefully my time will come soon, otherwise I will have to choose a different path. I will probably keep the same strategy of pushing hard for overall results, because that will help my aim and also the market. I am the only African driver to be in the WTCC, so hopefully the future will come soon because I don’t have too much time ahead. I’ve already seen what my opportunities are in other categories to make that jump to a works driver, but my goal is to stay in the WTCC as an official driver.”