Diego Ruiloba belongs to a family in which gasoline undoubtedly runs through the veins. Son of transporters, this Asturian knew from a young age that he would earn his living driving, whether it was a truck or a rally car, but always behind the wheel. At 23 years old, The Citroën team driver has won three of the six races contested so far in the Spanish Super Rally Championship. and hopes to clinch the final title in the two remaining events.
ASK: So far, you have won three out of six possible tests. Tell us a little about what that experience is like…
ANSWER: Well, it’s been an incredible year. It’s like living the dream you’ve had since you were little. I raced for many years as an amateur with the support of my family and now, over the last two years, it’s all turned professional. I was very lucky to cross my path with Citroën and the Sports and You team, who gave me the opportunity I had dreamed of since I was little.
Question : How is this championship going? Because we see that there is very tight competition with one of your compatriots like Alejandro Cachón.
A: Yes, it’s one of the best years in the Spanish Championship. This is probably one of the best years in history, or if not, it’s the best. And I think it’s very positive for everyone. Personally, for us, for the pilots, it’s good. It’s much easier for us to have support, for brands to get more involved, because it’s true that a few years ago, brands were not present in the championship. and it’s very difficult to get a program to work without the support of a brand. Now everyone is working in the right direction. The brands are more and more involved, more supported, more young drivers and I think the championship is becoming very professional and that is very good.
Question : And for you, what does it mean to compete with Citroën?
A: Racing with Citroën with the support of a brand, an official car, as I already told you, is living the dream that you have had since you were little. I saw an opportunity that many people would give anything to be here. I think I’m very lucky. Well, I’m lucky to be in a very involved brand. So is the car, as they continually continue to evolve and it is more than proven that this is a car ready to win on all surfaces. And we will fight these two remaining gatherings like never before.
Question : When did you know you were going to become a rally driver? Because I guess it doesn’t appear overnight…
A: Very quickly, practically since I was born in my house, that’s what my whole family saw, I had a lot of passion for this sport and more particularly for rallies, because in the north it’s a bit the most common modality. And since I was little, it was clear to me that my dream was to one day be able to get into a rally car. I didn’t know if I would be able to do it or not, because it’s not within everyone’s reach to have the opportunity to get into a rally car. But when I turned 18, my family gave me the opportunity to race a car, a completely stock car. I started with a car that is practically within everyone’s reach and little by little we were able to climb the steps until we got to where we are today, which is living a dream.
Question : And I was going to ask you, being from Asturias, Fernando Alonso had something to do with your career, I imagine, to inspire you as a driver as well. A little bird told me that you even ran for him…
A: Fernando Alonso is ultimately a reference for Asturians and for all of Spain. He is a reference, an athlete who is at the highest level and who marks an era. I had the opportunity to compete for him when I was 15 because I was playing at home with a simulator that I had like any child who loves video games. Eventually I was able to join Fernando Alonso’s team with a competition in which the prize was awarded to whoever won because he managed to enter his team. I won and well, I think it was a really great stage in my life and any kid that age that loves cars, well, you still don’t have the opportunity to be able to race in a rally because you are not old enough. Well, I think it’s a stage that I have very fond memories of.
Question : And have you ever thought about trying your hand at Formula 3 or Formula 4 or did you know you were going to become a rally driver from the start?
A: No, I knew I was going to become a rally driver from the start. It was 100% clear to me, because it is the modality that really fascinates me and which I knew was the only one that would have a chance of being able to start one day. To begin with, on the circuits, because the economic cost is much higher and in the north there are not the facilities available to launch rallies, because ultimately in the north of Spain there are no circuits. And it is true that if you live in Madrid or in the south, you have more facilities, but rallies are the modality that has the most facilities. If you live in the north and apart from that, this is also the one I was most excited about. So I knew that rallies had all their potential.
Question : How important is family support to becoming a rally driver?
A: I’m very lucky to have the family I have. They supported me in absolutely everything, because they too live it with a lot of passion, not only my father, but also my mother and the whole family. Sport has always been present at home and they live it with a lot of passion and they also know how to guide me or advise me very well to have good principles and to be able to try to realize the opportunity that Citroën is giving me.
Question : Did your passion for engines start when your parents owned a transportation company?
A: My dad’s two hobbies are trucks and rallying and ever since I was little, that’s what I’ve seen. This year maybe a little less because I have less time, but when I can, I always try to help the family business because it has supported me like no one else in the rally world. The best way to reward them is, whenever I have free time, I try to reward them for all the work they have done for me.
Question : So we will be able to find you one day on the roads of Spain in a mounted truck and you will even be able to overtake a Spanish champion…
A: I do less and less transport, because the real dream would be to be able to experience rallies and dedicate myself to them 100%. But it is clear that at some point you will surely find me on the roads with the truck.
Question : What goal do you set for yourself in your sporting career?
A: Well, like any rally driver, we would like to one day be able to access the World Rally Car (WRC), the highest category. Logically, this is the last step. But hey, I am aware that it is very complicated, that there is very little chance of this happening, because it requires a very big economy and perhaps being in the right place at the right time and having just what ‘you need luck. So I know it’s very complicated. I would love it, logically, like any rally driver and I will fight to have this opportunity one day, but I think I would be satisfied to be able to stay for many more years in a car in this category. A lot of people would give anything to be where I am, and that’s why I think I consider myself very lucky and I would be happy to be able to experience rallying for many years at the level I am at now.
Question : As a lifelong rally spectator, why isn’t there as much following as there used to be?
A: Many years ago, rallying was a sport that was widely followed by everyone. Brands are very involved. I don’t know exactly at the moment what the path to follow is, because times have changed a lot and the way of selling the sport is clear, it now has to be very different from years ago and we have to give it a small change. .
Maybe the cars used in the World Championship should be the same as those used in the national championships. Always try to bring the evidence as close to the public as possible and try to give it an impact now in current media, such as networks or streaming platforms. And I think now we’re getting a little bit better, we’re coming from bad years and even though we’re moving slowly, we’re going in the right direction.
