the essential
At 13 years old, Jaouen Accard, a young karting driver, already has a promising track record. Enough to make his father proud, who passed on his passion to him.
In the Accard family, karting is passed down like a virus. “My whole family was immersed in motorsport. My great-grandfather was a tank pumper at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, my grandfather was a mechanic and my father works at Peugeot Sport,” proudly lists Jaouen Accard, who flirted very early with the sensation of speed.
“I started with my father in a two-seater,” says the pilot. “Then I made him try 4-stroke karting, and I gave him his first karting at Christmas, just before Covid,” continues his father Jean-Christophe Accard. It was the start of a great love story for the young driver, who then bought his first chassis.
He arrived 6e out of 20 at the 2024 Eurocup at Le Mans
At the age of 13, while only entering his fourth year of competition, the schoolboy already has a very promising sporting record. He was champion of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine league two years in a row (2023 and 2024) and finished 5e to the Grand Sud league. Above all, he finished 6e out of 20 in October at the Eurocup 2024 at Le Mans, a European competition which brought together a total of 250 drivers, all categories combined.
A weekend that will remain engraved in his memory. “I was leaving 12e in the final, and I came up 6e thanks to the rain,” recalls Jaouen. A climatic hazard which could handicap some, but which has benefited him. “When it rains, you have to quickly adapt to the track. It's a completely different style of riding. In karting, there is a trajectory, and there is a part of the track on which you should definitely not drive, because there is rubber and dirt that makes you slip. In the rain, we use it to grip the tires. » A difficult technique, but which reveals good pilots.
2025 objective: finish on the podium
Jaouen Accard acquired his expertise through the many hours spent on the slopes of Layrac and Villeneuve-sur-Lot. But without neglecting his school career. Because if many young people who aim for a professional career stop school or follow distance learning, he still lives a normal daily life as a schoolboy in Jasmin, in Agen. “You never know…” slips the teenager, although he is determined to achieve his dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver.
His next goal: to finish on the podium of the Grand Sud league and the Eurocup 2025.
F1
France
