Yann Ehrlacher begins his fifth season in the WTCR, second as defending champion. The French driver has won the last two World Touring Car Cup titles, but he is hungry for more. Logical if one takes into account that Ehrlacher is only 25 years old and is backed by one of the strongest structures in the category. Looking ahead to the new year, Yann will once again ride one of Cyan Racing’s Lynk & Co 03 TCRs, in addition to repeating with his uncle Yvan Muller as a teammate.
With a solid foundation, Yann Erlacher has between eyebrows and eyebrows his third title: «I felt ready to get it on the first day after Sochi, just after winning my second title. Every day is another day of training and this preseason we have had more preparation. We have done some tests, but we are entering the fourth year of the car and after four years you enter the final phase of its development. Now we are more aware of the configurations that we couldn’t try during the season. That has been our way through the winter.”
Despite being a double WTCR champion, Ehrlacher has decided not to change his number and will continue with #68: «I thought about switching to number #1, because you never know when you will have the option to wear it. Nevertheless, I’m pretty attached to my number and I’ve won the title twice with it so I’ve opted to keep it. I hope to have more options to take #1 in future years. However, in the end they are numbers and I’m focused on what’s under the bib. In the car, in the set-up and in my way of driving.
The French exudes ambition in his words: «we can always be better. Even after winning the title the last two seasons without having a DNF and without any race outside the points. We had some failure in qualifying, I made some mistakes. I could have done better in some Q3, so there are always things to optimize. The perfect season doesn’t exist, that’s why every day we have to improve and seek the best of ourselves. I still need to work more and there are still many ways to improve».
Inside the new season, Ehrlacher hopes to have a good performance in Pauan iconic circuit that marks the return of the championship to an urban track: «I drove there in one of my first races in 2013. It was with a very small electric car. In fact, it was more like an exhibition than a race itself. I don’t remember the track very well, so I need to work a little more in the simulator and on the videos to be ready. I would like to do well there».