Moroccan racer Mehdi Bennani says he will be ‘very happy’ with top five results in Morocco, as the World Touring Car Championship heads to the Marrakech street circuit this weekend.
Bennani is the only African driver competing in the WTCC, and as a result bears the weight and expectation of the home crowd whenever the series visits the continent. He admits that the race this weekend, as well as the season finale in Qatar, are his highlights of the season.
“There are two important events for me this season – Morocco and Qatar,” said Bennani to the series’ official website. “I know a lot of people will be waiting for me at these two events and if I had to choose two events this year where I get my best results then it will be these two races.”
Despite driving the championship winning Citroën C-Elysée WTCC car, which has won 19 of the past 25 races, Bennani claims that he is not thinking that he is going to win on home soil, having previously taken a best result of ninth in Marrakech.
“I’m not thinking to win, I’m thinking to do my best, drive at 100 per cent and if that gives us a good position, for example top five, then I will be very happy. But it will not be easy because we are fighting against the best manufacturer team and the best drivers.
“There are a lot of things to get right. Qualifying is one of the key moments. In Argentina I have done a big mistake in the key moment of the weekend but this can happen when you are driving to the limit and not over it.”
Discussions are being held to make the Circuit Moulay el Hassan a permanent racing facility and Bennani says that a full-time racing venue will help the future of motorsport in the North African country.
“It’s very nice for me as a driver because it means motorsport is going in a good way. I am also working with 25 young drivers in go-karts in an academy. I am here to push them and a permanent circuit will really help for the future.”
Explaining the feeling of driving his Sébastien Loeb Racing touring car, Bennani says that having come from single-seater racing he is finally happier with the feel of the C-Elysée compared to previous cars raced. The 31-year-old made his début at the wheel of a SEAT León, before spending the next four years at the wheel of BMW machinery. In 2014 he spent a year with a Honda Civic TC1, including taking a first-ever win in Shanghai.
“I’m very surprised [with the C-Elysée] because my start in motorsport was in single-seaters and my focus was Formula One. I stopped single-seaters in Formula 3000 to switch to WTCC for the race in Marrakech when I was the guest driver. Afterwards I was not very happy because I was thinking I like more the single-seater car.
“It is strange with the Citroën because I find this sensation like you are driving a single-seater car much more than a touring car. That’s why I was smiling. It was not about the result but it was about how I feel as a driver in the car. You feel you are on the limit and the car is very positive and aggressive. I like this.”