Mehdi Bennani

Mehdi Bennani
Born	(1983-08-25) August 25, 1983 Morocco
Occupation	Racing driver
Years active	2001–present
Known for	First Moroccan to win an FIA-recognized world championship race; 2020 TCR Europe champion

Mehdi Bennani (, born 25 August 1983) is a Moroccan professional racing driver currently active in TCR Europe with the team Sébastien Loeb Racing. He clinched the 2020 TCR Europe title while driving for the Belgian outfit Comtoyou Racing.

Bennani made history as the first Moroccan to claim victory in an FIA-recognized world championship race, triumphing at the Shanghai round of the World Touring Car Championship.

Early career

Starting his motorsport journey in karting, Bennani captured the Moroccan national karting title in 2001 and secured second place in the European Karting Championship’s 100 ICA category. That same year, he also won the Moroccan Fiat Palio Trophy. Transitioning to formula racing, he finished as runner-up in Formula BMW Asia in 2004. In 2005, he competed in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series with Avalon Formula, racing alongside notable drivers such as Robert Kubica and Will Power. The following year, he remained in the series with EuroInternational but did not manage to score points. In 2007, Bennani took part in Euroseries 3000, ending the season 14th overall with a best finish of fourth place. In 2008, he secured second position at the Pau Historical Grand Prix.

Exagon Engineering (2009)

In May 2009, Bennani made his WTCC debut at the Marrakech Street Circuit, driving a SEAT León 2.0 TFSI prepared by Exagon Engineering and supported by Morocco’s Tourism Office. He became the first North African driver to participate in WTCC, finishing ninth and winning the Independent's class in the opening race. Bennani competed in four additional rounds for Exagon, including an incident at the Race of Portugal where he collided with Alain Menu’s car and was subsequently disqualified.

Wiechers-Sport (2010)

During the 2010 season, Bennani raced a BMW 320si for Wiechers-Sport, earning three points and concluding the year ranked twentieth in the drivers’ championship.

Proteam Racing (2011–2014)

Bennani joined Proteam Racing in 2011 behind the wheel of their new BMW 320 TC. His top performance that year was sixth place at Macau. Continuing with Proteam in 2012 alongside Isaac Tutumlu until Tutumlu’s mid-season exit, Bennani achieved his career-best fourth place and secured his first podium by finishing third at the 2012 FIA WTCC Race of Hungary. Despite facing penalties and on-track incidents throughout the season, he ended tenth overall, tied on points but ranked ahead of Alex MacDowall due to his podium finish.

He remained with Proteam for the 2013 campaign, again driving the BMW 320 TC. Despite mechanical setbacks, he finished twelfth overall and was fourth among independent drivers. Seeking better results, Bennani switched to a Honda Civic for the 2014 season.

In that year, Bennani claimed his maiden WTCC victory at Shanghai, marking Honda’s first win of that campaign. He wrapped up the season eleventh in the championship standings.

Sebastian Loeb Racing (2015–2019)

For 2015, Bennani signed with Sébastien Loeb Racing, piloting a 2014-spec Citroën C-Elysée WTCC. He opened the season strongly, demonstrating competitive pace and battling leading drivers such as Robert Huff and Gabriele Tarquini. At his home event in Marrakech, he qualified second and finished fourth in race one, securing victory in the independent category. Although race two presented challenges, he recovered to sixth place before penalties affected his final result.

The Hungarian round proved difficult with no points scored; however, Bennani delivered solid performances at Nürburgring with sixth and seventh-place finishes, narrowing his gap to rival Norbert Michelisz in the Yokohama Trophy standings. Results were mixed during Russian and Slovakian rounds but included valuable points within the Yokohama independent category. In France and Portugal, he accumulated modest points while maintaining strong standing in the Yokohama Trophy.

The Asian races marked a turning point; at Japan, Bennani reached Q3 qualifying for only the second time and finished seventh and tenth in races one and two respectively, performing well among independents. Returning to Shanghai—where he had previously won—the Moroccan driver achieved double victories along with important championship points.

In Thailand, Bennani qualified fifth and finished fourth and seventh across two races, including another independent class win. Heading into Qatar’s final round, he qualified second and earned his first podium of that season with a runner-up finish followed by fifth place in race two. He narrowly missed retaining his independent title by just four points.

Overall, Bennani’s 2015 tenure with Sébastien Loeb Racing featured four Q3 appearances—including two starts from the second row behind the world champion—and consistent results that culminated in a runner-up position in the Yokohama Independent Trophy as well as eighth place overall in WTCC standings—his best career result to date.

2016

During the 2016 World Touring Car Championship season, Mehdi Bennani raced alongside teammates Tom Chilton and Grégoire Demoustier. He kicked off the year with an impressive second-place finish in the opening event held in France and secured pole position at the Slovakiaring, converting it into another runner-up result. Bennani demonstrated dominance in the WTCC Independent Trophy by winning four races consecutively, positioning himself ahead of his fellow team members in the standings.

At the Hungaroring, Bennani earned his second career victory in race one amid difficult wet track conditions and claimed the WTCC Trophy title by finishing eighth in race two and third within the trophy classification. Competing at his home round in Marrakech, despite qualifying 14th, he managed to finish eighth and ninth in the two races, taking victory in the WTCC Trophy race under rainy conditions and concluding the weekend fifth overall. After an FIA ruling that disqualified Honda vehicles, Bennani was promoted to fifth and sixth place points finishes.

At Nürburgring, he secured two fifth-place overall results and was runner-up among independent drivers. The Russian Grand Prix presented challenges due to ballast penalties, resulting in ninth and tenth place overall finishes but still yielding two podiums in the WTCC Trophy standings. Portugal proved more favorable with a fourth place and third among independents in race one, followed by an eighth overall and first independent finish in race two. In Argentina, Bennani consistently finished eighth and seventh overall while maintaining podium positions within the WTCC Trophy.

During Motegi, although qualifying third, he was demoted due to time gaps; nevertheless, he recovered to finish fourth in race two after serving a drive-through penalty in race one. At Shanghai, Bennani qualified fourth, ended race one in 11th place, and achieved third place in race two, securing the WTCC Trophy championship title.

Entering the final round in Qatar as reigning WTCC Trophy champion, Bennani concentrated on improving his overall ranking. He recorded his first career pole position with an impressive Q3 lap time. Despite receiving a drive-through penalty during race one, he managed to withstand pressure and took victory in race two—his third career win—ultimately finishing fifth in the overall championship classification.

Concluding a consistent and victorious 2016 season, Bennani renewed his contract with Sébastien Loeb Racing for 2017. His strong performances firmly established him as one of the leading drivers in WTCC, regularly outperforming even factory-backed competitors.

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F.Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2002	Formula Renault Campus France	?	?	?	?	?	?	21	14th
2004	Formula BMW Asia	Team Meritus	14	0	0	?	6	124	3rd
2005	Formula Renault 3.5 Series	Avelon Formula	14	0	0	0	0	0	NC
2006	Formula Renault 3.5 Series	EuroInternational	2	0	0	0	0	0	NC
2007	Euroseries 3000	ELK Motorsport	12	0	0	0	0	9	14th
	F3000 Italia		6	0	0	0	0	3	14th
2008	24H Series - A6	Duller Motorsport	1	0	0	0	0	8	13th
2009	World Touring Car Championship	Exagon Engineering	9	0	0	0	0	0	NC
	Independent's Trophy		9	1	0	3	2	30	8th
	2009 Formula Le Mans Cup		2	0	0	0	0	13	23rd
	Moroccan Circuit Racing Championship - M2A | ?	5	5	?	?	50	style="background:#FFFFBF;" | 1st
2010	2010 World Touring Car Championship | rowspan=2 align=left |Wiechers-Sport | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19th |-	Independent's Trophy | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 91 | 5th |-	2011	2011 World Touring Car Championship | rowspan=3 align=left |Proteam Motorsport | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 16th |-	Independent's Trophy | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 8th |-	2011 European Touring Car Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5th |-	2012	2012 World Touring Car Championship | rowspan=2 align=left |Proteam Motorsport | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 10th |-	Independent's Trophy | 24 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 73 | 7th |-	2013	2013 World Touring Car Championship |rowspan=2 align=left |Proteam Motorsport |24 |0 |0 |1 |3 |80 |12th |-	Independent's Trophy |24 |4 |0 |4 |7 |102 |4th |-	2014	2014 World Touring Car Championship |Proteam Motorsport |21 |1 |0 |0 |2 |85 |11th |-	2015	2015 World Touring Car Championship |rowspan=2 align=left |Sébastien Loeb Racing |24 |0 |0 |0 |0 |127 |8th |-	Independent's Trophy |24 |7 |3 |8 |15 |145 style="background:#DFDFDF;" font-weight:bold;|"2nd" |-	2016	2016 World Touring Car Championship ||Sébastien Loeb Racing ||22 ||2 ||2 ||1 ||5 ||206 ||5th |-	2017	2017 World Touring Car Championship ||Sébastien Loeb Racing ||20 ||3 ||0 ||1 ||7 ||234 ||6th |-	2018	2018 World Touring Car Cup ||Sébastien Loeb Racing ||28 ||1 ||0 ||1 ||3 ||155 ||12th |-	2019	2019 World Touring Car Cup ||Sébastien Loeb Racing ||30 ||0 ||0 ||2 ||0 ||40 ||25th |-	align=left	2019 VLN Series#Cup-5 class (Cup-5) – Group H4-HH (Hobby-Historic) and Group I (Improved Production Cars) – VLN Cup-5 class (Cup-5) – Group H4-HH (Hobby-Historic) and Group I (Improved Production Cars) ||Team Mathol Racing e.V.||1||0||۰||۰||۰||۰٫۸۸||۱۲۲nd |-	rowspan=2  202۰	202۰ TCR Europe Touring Car Series || rowspan="۲" align="چپ" Comtoyou Racing|| ۱۲|| ۰|| ۲|| ۰|| ۳|| 285|| style="background:#FFFFBF;" font-weight:bold;"۱st"|-	TCR Ibérico Touring Car Series	?	۰	۰	۰	۰	۲۵	- ۲۰۱۱|| TCR Europe Touring Car Series|| Sébastien Loeb Racing|| ۱۴|| ۱|| ۰|| ۰|| ۳|| ۲۵۲|| ۵th|- ۲۰۲۲  || World Touring Car Cup || Comtoyou Team Audi Sport || ۱۴ || ۰ || ۱ || ۰ || ۱ || ۱۱۲ || ۱۱th|- ۲۰۲۴  || TCR World Tour || Team Clairet Sport || ۲ || ۰ || ۰ || ۰ || ۰ || ۱۴ || ۲۰th|} Full Formula Renault 3.5 Series Results (legend) (Rounds shown in bold denote pole position) (Rounds in italics signify fastest lap) Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Final Position Points Scored 2005 Avelon Formula ZOL 1 ZOL 2 MON 1 Ret VAL 1 Ret VAL 2 18 LMS 1 21 LMS 2 18 BIL 1 DNQ BIL 2 Ret OSC 1 13 OSC 2 16 DON 1 18 DON 2 17 EST 1 23 EST 2 21 MNZ 1 19† MNZ 2 21 33rd 0 2006 Eurointernational ZOL 1 ZOL 2 MON 1 DNQ IST 1 IST 2 MIS 1 MIS 2 SPA 1 SPA 2 NÜR 1 NÜR 2 DON 1 DON 2 LMS 1 Ret LMS 2 19 CAT 1 CAT 2 43rd 0 Full World Touring Car Championship Results (legend) (Rounds highlighted in bold represent pole position) (Rounds in italics indicate fastest lap) ... (Results for the World Touring Car Championship continue in a similar format, summarizing key finishes and points accumulated per season.) Year Team Name Vehicle Model 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Final Standing Total Points † Although the driver did not cross the finish line, classification was granted for completing over ninety percent of the race distance. Full World Touring Car Cup Performance (legend) (Entries in bold denote pole position) (Entries in italics signify fastest lap) Year Team Vehicle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Final Position Points Earned 2018 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR MAR 1 MAR 2 MAR 3 HUN 1 HUN 2 HUN 3 GER 1 GER 2 GER 3 NED 1 NED 2 NED 3 POR 1 POR 2 POR 3 SVK 1 SVK 2 SVK 3 CHN 1 CHN 2 CHN 3 WUH 1 WUH 2 WUH 3 JPN 1 JPN 2 JPN 3 MAC 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 12th 155 2019 SLR VW Motorsport Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR MAR 1 MAR 2 MAR 3 HUN 1 HUN 2 HUN 3 SVK 1 SVK 2 SVK 3 NED 1 NED 2 style= "background: #DFFFDF; text-align:center; "|[[FIA WTCC Race of the Netherlands │NED  3]] " 15" 16" 16" 20" 19" 13" 20" 11" 14" 24" 27" Ret" 17" Ret" 18" 12" 13" 17" !25th !40 |- 2022 World Touring Car Cup │2022 nowrap │Comtoyou Racing │Comtoyou Team Audi Sport nowrap │Audi RS 3 LMS TCR style= " background: #DFFFDF ; text-align:center ;"|10 Ret C C 13 Ret 10 9 7 6 10 9 11 2 7 8 11th } Complete TCR Europe Touring Car Series results (key) (Races displayed in bold denote pole position) (Races in italics signify fastest lap) Year Team Vehicle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final Position Points Accumulated 2020 Comtoyou Racing Audi RS 3 LMS TCR LEC 1 22 LEC 2 5 ZOL 1 Ret3 ZOL 2 5 MNZ 1 Ret1 MNZ 2 8 CAT 1 55 CAT 2 3 SPA 1 61 SPA 2 16 JAR 1 44 JAR 2 2 1st 285 2021 Sébastien Loeb Racing Hyundai Elantra N TCR SVK 1 6 SVK 2 1 LEC 1 18 LEC 2 6 ZAN 1 12 ZAN 2 6 SPA 1 2 SPA 2 9 NÜR 1 < br > 11 NÜR < br > 2 < br > 14 MNZ < br > 1 < br > 21 MNZ < br > 2 < br > 12 CAT < br > 1 < br > 10 CAT < br > 2 < br > 2 5th 252 ( key) (Events shown in bold denote pole position) (Events in italics signify fastest lap) Year Team Vehicle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 DC Points 2024 Team Clairet Sport Cupra León VZ TCR VAL 1 VAL 2 MRK 1 11 MRK 2 10 MOH 1 MOH 2 SAP 1 SAP 2 ELP 1 ELP 2 ZHZ 1 ZHZ 2 MAC 1 MAC 2 20th 14 References