Chevrolet’s Alain Menu will race a special ‘one-off’ livery at this weekend’s Portugese round of the World Touring Car Championship – with the Swiss driver assuming the fictional role of Michel Vaillant.
Menu will race as the fictional French comic book character Vaillant as a result of a tie-in between the manufacturer and Studio Graton, the French publisher of the long-running comic book series.
“I’m happy and excited at the same time, because Michel Vaillant was a great part of my youth,” said Menu, who will even take the name and appearance of the character for the weekend. “When I was a kid and teenager I used to read all his comic books several times over,
dreaming I would become a F1 driver. To be Michel Vaillant is something I never expected!”
Chevrolet Motorsport Manager Eric Nève will also get in on the act as he takes on the role of Jean-Pierre Vaillant, Michel’s elder brother. “We have been working to change the whole look,” said Nève. “The racing overall of Alain/Michel, the team’s uniforms, the livery of the car, the truck and the garage. There are also other implications, as we will be visiting the Club Michel Vaillant in Brussels. The main reason why we do this is to promote the championship, because we know that comic books will stay on the shelves of people for the next generation to come.”
The move comes as the fictional character is set to race in the WTCC for the first time, in an effort to reinvigorate the comic book series.
“I wanted to give Michel Vaillant a new start,” explained Philip Graton of Studio Graton. “If he stays on top of Formula One, and Vaillante is the most successful manufacturer, where is the adventure? There are times, for a hero, to be challenged again, to be thrown back into the lion pit, to find himself alone and having to prove his value again. The WTCC is a perfect place for that, as its drivers are among the best, but they are not victims of stardom. They are strong and tough and the championship is about true racing, not celebrity and money. The WTCC cars don’t look like spaceships, they are close to those you see on the road. This is the perfect place for Michel Vaillant to be tested again and for him to understand if his love for racing is still intact!”
Vaillant was created by French artist Jean Graton in 1957 and even has a street in Brussels named after him. The Vaillant comic book series will relaunch this November with a new WTCC theme.