It was this Sunday in Aragon, where the first round of the Supersport 300 World Championship took place, that Hugo de Cancellis, trained at the ZF Grand Prix School, finished magnificently on the second step of the podium, 0.05 behind the winner Manuel Gonzalez.
After having trained quality drivers like Johann Zarco and Corentin Perolari, Laurent Fellon continues the education of young enthusiasts with success, as proven by this great performance obtained in Spain by de Cancellis. Laurent trains drivers entered in the European Talent Cup, the Supersport 300 World Championship, the Red Bull Rookies Cup and other promotional formulas.
Laurent, Hugo de Cancellis completed his first Supersport 300 tests in mid-March with his new Team Trasimeno Yamaha and you on the MotorLand Aragón circuit. What do you think of Hugo's performance last Sunday, 2nd, 0.059 behind the winner?
“I think Hugo, who has been with us for a long time at school, has potential. It's normal that we get to this point because it's someone who listens and works. He was well educated by his parents and everything is going well. He was selected and joined our big family, which is a mold where we teach them by spending a lot of time with them to go to the highest level for those who can.”
“With those who cannot, we will make passionate pilots or mechanics. Our school is based on passion, which allows us to achieve many things.”
“Hugo arrived last year in Misano, on a track he didn't know. He applied himself, he worked, and he scored his first points (Editor's note: 14th, 3.1 behind winner Bastianelli in SSP300). You should know that there is a very high step between the French Championship and the World Supersport 300. We must give young people a year of learning and above all not stop working during the winter, as we do. 'did with Hugo'.
“I think this year Hugo can fight in front… And why not win the title? He is programmed to be in front. But it's just fun when we go to train every weekend with him and my son Lorenzo. And it’s not just us parents who are motivated, they want it too.”
What are the main qualities of de Cancellis, who won the Coupe de France Promosport 400 in 2017, as well as the French Yamaha R3 Challenge?
“Among all the kids we have, he is calm, he is calm, he listens. The surroundings are also very important and we pay close attention to them. Hugo has been programmed since we knew him when he was little. He raced in PW with us, he did the ZFM150 Cup which he won. So it’s a logic of continuity. He did well in his exams and got to where he was this weekend. By talking to his dad about it, we were almost sure to achieve this result.”
Your son Lorenzo is competing in a new season in Spain in the European Talent Cup with a Honda, within the ZF Grand Prix School team, while participating in the Red Bull Rookies Cup on a KTM. Why didn't he take part in the European Talent Cup race in Estoril last weekend?
“You should know that kids sometimes do 800 to 1 km on motorcycles like last weekend. But you have to be aware that the Red Bull Rookies Cup is a beautiful thing. Lorenzo was selected by KTM, and it’s still high level. For example, there is Barry Baltus who won last Sunday in CEV Moto000, the Junior World Championship. He’s a Belgian who goes very fast.”
“What happens is there are a lot of them who are at his level and who are in their second or third year. So we are forced to make choices. You can't do a full week of intense riding, with fast times, and then arrive on Saturday morning just for qualifying, while the other competitors rode on Thursday and Friday. They're kids, they're exhausted. It's like someone having two jobs at once.
“We preferred to put the handbrake on, especially since with logistics, moving the trucks, we can't do everything. And above all, do things well. The priority for Lorenzo is the Red Bull Cup. The Talent Cup is about fighting and growing. He’s still a kid and we have to go gradually.”
This year, it was Gregory Carbonnel (also trained by the ZF Grand Prix School) who recorded his first podium in the first race of the Coupe de France Promosport in the 400 category at Nogaro. He finished 2nd, 0.029 behind the winner. Is the training good, a priori?
“My wife Andrea Fellon takes care of the school and she puts a lot of heart into it. There is Adrien Corger, Lorenzo's mechanic in the RedBull MotoGP Rookies Cup and mechanic in the European Talent Cup, Loïc Trintignac, mechanic/technician from the Z&F Grand Prix School, Seb Moreno, state-qualified instructor from the Z&F Grand Prix School, Xavier Gorit, communications manager for the Z&F Grand Prix School and the Mas Z&F Grand Prix circuit, and David Blanc, physical and mental trainer for the drivers at the Z&F Grand Prix School.
“I would like to thank our partners Claude Michy, Eric de Seynes (Yamaha Motors France), NL, Shark Helmets, Bihr and Maxxess.”
Last Sunday, before the Aragon podium: Manuel Gonzalez, Hugo de Cancellis and Scott Deroue.
Photos © ZF Grand Prix School, Yamaha Racing, Team Trasimeno and worldsbk.com
