Yves Matton has been appointed FIA Rally Director and will take up his position at the Federation’s Geneva offices on 7 February 2018. Matton replaces Jarmo Mahonen who retired at the end of 2017.
The Belgian will be responsible for the strategic vision of rallying and cross country rallying at all levels. He will also be in charge of the administration and regulatory management of the associated FIA championships and sporting commissions. He will report to the FIA General Secretary for Sport, Peter Bayer. Matton will be instrumental in liaising with all the sport’s stakeholders in order to optimise the attractiveness, efficiency and future sustainability of the discipline.
FIA President, Jean Todt, said:
“Yves has a wealth of experience across many facets of rallying, which is important for its continued growth. He has a great passion for the sport and his understanding of competition and management at independent and manufacturer levels will be a great asset to further securing the future development of our sport. I would also like to thank PSA Motorsport for making Yves’ transition to the FIA so seamless.
“I also pay tribute to Jarmo for his significant contribution and the advancements made in rallying under his management. We have solid foundations to further build on and I am confident we will continue to see the sport grow from strength to strength.”
Yves Matton will become FIA’s Rally Director
Yves Matton’s love of motorsport dates back to his childhood. He followed rallies in Belgium for many years before beginning to compete in 1986. Matton went on to found a company specialising in the preparation and rental of racing cars before becoming Team Manager at Kronos Racing. At the end of 2002, he joined Citroen Sport as Logistics Manager and more latterly WRC Co-ordinator and Team Manager. He maintained close relations with Citroen after leaving in 2008 and then returned to the Championship-winning Citroen Racing team as Team Principal in 2012. There he was responsible for the WRC programme and the squad’s entry into the FIA World Touring Car Championship. The team won three world titles in WTCC. Matton was then instrumental in Citroen’s return to the WRC, where it now competes with the C3 WRC.
Yves Matton explained:
“I must admit that I feel very honoured to take on this position at the FIA. I have worked at various levels of the sport, including for one of the most successful manufacturers in history. But this is for me a real achievement in itself.”
I am very happy to announce that I will join the @fia in a few days, as Rally Director. After having held various positions in the sport, I feel very honored to be entrusted with this position within the governing body. I look forward to working with everyone! pic.twitter.com/8fQfgWbuyA
— Yves Matton (@Yves_Matton) January 15, 2018
