Axel May, edited by Solène Leroux 9:22 p.m., February 27, 2022, modified at 9:22 p.m., February 27, 2022

The FFSA, the French Motorsport Federation, organizes the Rallye Jeunes operation every year, a sort of "Star Academy" of drivers to detect the most promising, and why not the future world champions.

The winners of the 2022 edition have just been revealed.

Nearly 4,500 candidates took part in the qualifications for the Rallye Jeunes operation, organized by the French Motorsport Federation with the financial support of Yacco, a lubricant company.

To apply, you must be between 18 and 25 years old, have a driving license, be of French nationality and pay 20 euros in registration fees.

The objective during the Rally: complete a timed course aboard a small Peugeot 208, slaloming between cones.

The detection days took place in January and February on the circuits of Dreux, Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, Lyon, then Nîmes.

>> Find all the editorial newspapers of Europe 1 in replay and podcast here

Applicants need to manage stress

Nicolas Bernardi, a former driver, is in charge of the Rallye Jeunes operation: "This is what characterizes a rally driver: always a lot of stress, a lot of elements that make us anxious, and if we know manage them instinctively, it will make a rally driver who has more ability than another."

The best candidates, around fifty, have been selected for the final phase, which has just taken place over three days on the Nîmes circuit of Lédenon.

A new series of tests and events have made it possible to designate the two winners of the 2022 edition: Tom Pellerey, 24, and Hugo Roch, 20.

© AXEL MAY / EUROPE 1

The two winners entered in the French Rally Championship

The two winners are offered a steering wheel in the French rally championship for one season, the first round of which is scheduled for March 17 to 19 in Le Touquet.

This detection operation, unique in Europe according to its promoters, made it possible to identify Sébastien Loeb (double finalist in 1995/1996 and nine times world rally champion) and Sébastien Ogier (winner in 2005 and eight times WRC champion).

A still very masculine sport-passion

Less known than his illustrious elders, Yohan Rossel won in 2014. Today in WRC2, antechamber of the professional circuit, driving a Citroën C3, he explains that "it's an environment where only the premier category is paid" : "It's a bit like the difference between Formula 1 and Formula 2. Me, at 26, I'm still young, it's already nice to have a manufacturer behind me."

Yohan Rossel adds: "We have so much fun with this high-level sport."

In short, a sport-passion.

But there remains one relentless observation: although the selections are mixed, very few women register and none, in nearly 30 years of existence, has won a Rallye Jeunes steering wheel.