Mainly known today for the various cult shows that he had the opportunity to present on TF1, such as, for example, Hello, it’s us!, Heaven my Tuesday!or even The Wheel of Fortune, Christophe Dechavanne has been working on France 2 for more than two years now. As a reminder, he is the permanent collaborator of Léa Salamé in the weekly talk show of the public channel, called What a time!. While it has now been 30 years since the famous Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna died, Christophe Dechavanne gave an interview to TV Magin which he proclaims his admiration for the Brazilian champion, but also for car racing in general. “I met him at Spa Francorchamps, where I was racing on the same weekend as an F1 Grand Prix. (…) We spent a few minutes together. For me, it was a unique driver, capable of incredible mechanical performances“, he recalled with nostalgia.
Thanks to the comfortable income he earned from his activities on TF1 during the 90s, Christophe Dechavanne was able to satisfy his passion for automobile racing. “I worked every day on TF1, I drove at night, I was going to do free practice and my races on the weekend. I paid for everything out of my pocket“, he particularly underlined. Christophe Dechavanne then admitted that all this was very expensive for him. “It sometimes cost me up to two million francs per year“, he clarified. This passion for car racing was, however, not to the taste of the management of TF1, who feared that their star host would one day be the victim of an accident. “Patrick Le Lay (the former CEO of TF1, editor's note) had demanded faced with my refusal to stop racingto take out insurance fearing a possible cardboard box which would immobilize me“, notably revealed Christophe Dechavanne.
Christophe Dechavanne would love to participate in a show dedicated to automobiles
During his career, the host has played and produced diverse and varied programs. However, he has never been at the helm of a show devoted to automobiles. He also explained the reasons. “I didn't have a thousand chances to do it. In France, there is Auto-Moto and Turbo. There was also Top Gear, but that's it. But it would amuse me a lot. Tomorrow, you ask me to act stupid with a steering wheel in my hands for TV, I'll do it! I could also be a test driver for city cars“, he said in conclusion. A proposal?
