When Gilbert Bannout announced that he was going to ride with Cathy Derousseaux in the upcoming Spring rally, everybody in Lebanon was curious to know who she was?
Well we were the first to meet cathy for an exclusive interview after the last test Tony Germany rally Skills did in Arjes yesterday. Cathy introduced us to herself and we talked about many subjects including her future dreams, Co- driving Gilbert and about Nasser Al-Attiyah.
Who is Chathy Derousseaux?
Cathy is a french co-driver and started rallying when she was 16 years old. Her encounter with rallying started at her father’s garage where the influence of Pierre Latigue, a close family friend, was very big for her to jump into co-driving. Pierre Lartigue is a former Dakar champion. He won 3 consecutive dakars in 1994, 1995 and 1996.
“My first rally was a birthday present from my father and I was only 16 years” Cathy explains enthusiastically as we talk about her career.
Career
Cathy’s experience has been diverse so far. In 2007 she was a technical assistant for Mitsubishi in the Dakar, and in the following year she got the opportunity to go in the car alongside her father. “2008 was special, I raced Dakar with my father and we were exchanging race seats in the rally. It was an amazing experience to both drive and co-drive in Dakar.” Cathy adds.
After the Dakar experience, Cathy’s career took a more serious shift. She started rallying regularity and many drivers were asking for her favors. “I had a very good season last year. The results were average but the experience I got from 2010 was so valuable” Cathy answers when asked about her participations last year. She participated in the Citroen Racing Trophy and many local rallies in France.
In 2011 Cathy will be having a very busy schedule. At many points this season she will be racing for 4 or 5 consecutive weekends.
When asked about her preferred rally surface, Cathy explained saying “I never raced on snow, or on gravel in a rally. My experience is limited to Tarmac but 2 weeks from now I will be having my first rally experience on gravel and I will know by then what I like more.”
Testing ahead of the Spring Rally
In Lebanon Cathy will definitely be racing on Tarmac, so preparing for Saturday’s rally will not be a new experience for her, since she is used to such surfaces. Yesterday she was testing for the first time with Gilbert Bannout, and both driver and co- driver seem to have enjoyed a successful test.
“Gilbert is an excellent driver. We are working on adjusting to each other in the car. I believe that being successful in rallying is all about becoming ‘one’ with your partner and the rally car.” Cathy said summing up her test day with Gilbert.
Dreams and WRC
Cathy is aiming high in her motorsport career. She doesn’t seem to settle for what’s available. Her dream is to continue co-driving and move to highest level possible, like WRC. “I dream of co-driving with the best drivers in the world, such as Nasser Al-Attiyah.” Cathy adds. She seems to be very fond of Nasser and believes he is one of the best in the world.
At the end of our time together we chatted with Cathy about the new WRC season and her opinion regarding the coming rallies and the verdict of the championship. “Sebastian Loeb started slow but he is picking up. I think he will end up winning the whole thing. Ogier is a very good driver but Loeb is absolutely great.” Cathy answers, dismissing any chance for Loeb’s rivals to snatch the championship.
