Alain Bucher's consistent performance earned him the scratch and Gentleman titles in FR2.0. The Emirati driver from Lamo Racing looks back on his fine 2024 season in the Ultimate Formula Cup.
What do these titles represent in your career?
A real accolade! They reward the hard work and dedication of an entire team. You have to be present at every race to be crowned champion. In 2016, I won my first championship. Today, I've done it again in the Ultimate Cup European Series.
In the fifteen races in which you've competed in FR2.0, you've missed the podium just once! You must be delighted with this impressive consistency.
It just goes to show that when everything goes right, the result is there at the end. However, my season wasn't always straightforward. I started out in FR2.0 at Le Castellet in March because my F3R 13" wasn't delivered on time. I was going to spend a season in F3R. In Portimão, the F3R's engine gave up the ghost after free practice. I had to rent a single-seater from another team before qualifying. I was just discovering the car, so I wasn't really able to express myself with it. As I'd done the first round with the FR2.0, I decided to continue in this category.
At Mugello and Magny-Cours, I was not spared mechanical problems. In fact, it was a gearbox problem that cost me my only retirement of the year, in Race 1 at Nièvre. All weekend long, my gears wouldn't shift. The team still doesn't know how I managed to drive.
How important a role did your team, Lamo Racing, play in your winning the title?
It's an essential link in the race and in a driver's success. They're people who are totally devoted to the team, who don't count the hours they put in so that we can race. I'm thinking of my mechanic, Adlen Hamiti, who dismantled my gearbox between two races at Magny-Cours to check it, when we had very little time, my engineer Alix Bernal and of course team manager Laurent Lamolinairie.
Right up to the last round, you were battling with your team-mate Thierry Malhomme for the championship. How did this internal battle go?
Very well, because Thierry is above all a friend. I'm very happy to be racing in the Ultimate Cup European Series because my friends are there. I'm having a great time racing single-seaters against them, whether it's Thierry Malhomme, Thierry Aimard or Serge Coperchini, who'll be here full-time next year.
Every time you appear on the catwalk, you wave the Emirati flag. What does this country mean to you?
I'm a resident of the Emirates. I've been racing for the Emirates Motorsports Organization (EMSO), the equivalent of the FFSA in France, since I moved abroad. The United Arab Emirates are committed to developing motor sport, whether in rallying or on the circuit. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, himself an Emirati, wants to double the number of licensees in the country during his term of office. This country is still one of those that sees motor sport as an interesting vector for competition.
In 2025, the Ultimate Formula Cup will feature exclusively 13" F3Rs. Will you be on the grid?
I already have my F3R 13'' that I rented from Arthur Aegerter this year. I like this car, which suits me better than the FR2.0. I hope it will do me good during the season. I want to fight for the Gentleman's title. I'll be there and I'll still be driving for the UAE!