Prolific in both sprint and long-distance racing, 26-year-old Corentin Perolari has been recruited by F.C.C. TSR Honda France for the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship. The Frenchman took time out of his busy schedule to answer five key questions ahead of embracing a huge opportunity he’s determined not to waste.
You’ve been racing in endurance since 2017 and have competed in Superstock and Formula EWC with different private times. You now get a chance a with a factory-supported team so can you summarise your career path and explain the differences between the different categories and team structures?
“Unlike other riders who come to endurance after a career in sprint racing, I started very young. I competed in my first 24 Heures Motos aged 18. I love this discipline. It brings together private and factory teams on the track and in the paddock, a mix that works particularly well. I was lucky enough to cut my teeth in a top Superstock team, then to confirm my skills in two very good private EWC teams. Joining an EWC factory team is a new step. I've always been very fortunate to receive a very warm welcome and to always be provided with excellent conditions. Frédéric Louit (Team 33), Pierre Chapuis (Moto Ain), Patrick and Baptiste Enjolras (Tati Team) gave me their trust. My way of saying ‘thank you’ was to do my best, to repay them with good times in the race. For Fujii Masakazu and for all the people of the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team, it will be the same, I train every day to be able to thank them on the track. Then, to explain the difference between the Superstock, private EWC and EWC factory structures, it is both minimal and enormous. Technically almost everything is similar. Simply, the higher the level, the more experts there are to improve each process and each part. The team works on every detail to gain tenths of a second on each lap. By adding these small gains, they become seconds, then minutes. This is how, in an endurance race, with several hundred laps, simple adjustments at the start can turn into several lap gains at the finish.”
Perolari raced for Tati Team in the 2024 EWC
In terms of riding, what difference does this make?
“The big differences are mainly in the bikes and tyres, a little less so in the engines. On a Superstock bike, you keep the tyres on for several stints, especially at the front. With worn tyres, it’s more difficult to be consistent in your lap times. There’s much more race and tyre management. In EWC, the team changes tyres at every refuelling stop. At Honda, like the other factory teams, we use Bridgestone tyres, which are currently the best development tyres in EWC. Each stint becomes a sprint race. We never hold back. The chassis, brakes, suspension, and electronics are therefore tuned to be both more aggressive and more consistent from the beginning to the end of our stints. The riding is therefore much more refined, more physical and more technical.”
Pre-season testing has continued at Le Mans this week
Why do you think F.C.C. TSR Honda France chose you?
“I think it’s a combination of factors. My results, my experience, the fact that I rarely crash and my ability to step on the gas when needed certainly played a role. I also think there's a Honda factor. Last year, I rode for two Honda-powered teams, in EWC and Supersport, each time with results that exceeded their expectations. In French Supersport, I had a bunch of victories that allowed me to become French champion, but above all, to bring the title to the new Honda 600 CBR, which was making its comeback after years of absence. There was also a wildcard round at Magny-Cours in World Supersport, which went well. In endurance, with the Tati Team, the mission was to be there in the race for the brand in case of a setback for the official team. And that's what we did. We finished fifth in EWC at Le Mans, the first Honda in the EWC category, we put Honda on the podium at Spa, again as the first Honda. Finally, there is also surely the fact of having led the first hour of the race at the Bol d'Or, in a battle with Alan Techer. At that time, there were two Honda CBR 1000RR-Rs in the lead, and I think that these moments made an impression on people.”
How are things going with your new team-mates Alan Techer and Taiga Hada?
“Alan and I know each other very well. We have a very good relationship for a long time. And we've already ridden together several times. Last year, we were in the same Honda team in the French championship. He was competing in Superbike and I was in Supersport. Alan is very fast and reliable. As for Taiga, I didn't know him until I met him a few months ago. We recently tested in Japan and all three of us were posting the same lap times. So we should be a pretty consistent crew. I think it’s an asset to have a Japanese rider in a Japanese team. He can especially bring us a lot for Suzuka, which is a very important race for the championship and for Honda. And Alan and I can help him for the races in Europe. We complement each other quite well. We’re similar in size, give or take a few kilograms and centimetres, and that helps the technical staff fine-tune the bike.”
This season, you'll also be riding for HRC in World Supersport (WSSP 600). How does the EWC help you in the WSSP 600, and vice versa?
“In the WSSP 600 class, the engine power isn’t huge. So, to be fast in a race, you have to be both ultra-aggressive and with very fine-tuned handling. You have to get the most out of the bike. The WSSP 600 allows me to work on speed everywhere: cornering, braking, and accelerating. Above all, it forces me and gets me used to riding at 100 per cent, all the time. Not 99 per cent, but 100 per cent. In the EWC, you don’t ride at 100 per cent. In a 24-hour race, you have to manage a little. The WSSP 600 allows me to dial in a little margin in my riding effort. And if I have to do a few stints at 100 per cent, I’m capable of doing it. In the EWC, in a 24-hour race, you do the equivalent of eight to nine WSSP races. It’s super-intense. The EWC gives me stamina. You have to be consistent even when you’re starting to get tired, when you’re riding at night, or when you're facing changing weather conditions. In the 24 Heures Motos or at Spa, there’s always the risk of a downpour. At Suzuka, it can sometimes get very hot, like last year. And in the Bol d'Or, there are the gusts of wind on the Mistral Straight. In short, the WSSP600 and the EWC complement each other for me. And above all, I really enjoy both categories. In terms of my goals for the EWC, when you have the chance to join an official team, whatever the team, the objective is always the same: you have to ride at the front.”
The 24 Heures Motos forms the opening round of the four-event 2025 EWC season from 17-20 April. Ticket information is available HERE.
Original Source [ FIM EWC ]
