Clio Cup Series

As tradition dictates, the Clio Cup kicked off its new season at the Paul Armagnac Circuit in Nogaro with 27 drivers battling in France.

David Pouget won the first pole position and the first race of the year ahead of Marc Guillot and Alexandre Albouy after a rare miscue by Nicolas Milan. On Monday, Marc Guillot got the better of Nicolas Milan and David Pouget, who nevertheless left with the lead in Clio Cup France. Alexandre Albouy and Mathieu Lannepoudenx shared the spoils in the Challengers Cup, while Joran Leneutre and Alexandre Finkelstein finished on the category podium twice. Mathieu Rigoulet excelled on home turf, dominating the Gentlemen Drivers Cup and beating Horn and Laurent Dziadus on Sunday, then Jérémy Bordagaray and Horn on Monday.

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Clio Trophy Turkey

The Clio Trophy Turkey kicked off the race to succeed Çelik Çağlayan by starting its second season on the fearsome gravel roads of Rally Bodrum.

Leading after the first timed sector, the crew of Menderes Okur and Onur Aslan retired on the following stage. Can Altinok and Efe Ersoy inherited the lead and picked up three fastest times in six stages. With a 1:05.3s advantage at the end of day one, the leaders were declared winners when the second leg was cancelled due to forest fires in the Bodrum region. Tuncer and Asena Sancakli finished second ahead of Sinan Soylu and Ali Tugrul Kaya. Nebil and Asli Erbil suffered a puncture on SS1 and finished fourth despite two stage wins.

Titleholder Çelik Çağlayan was also in action at the same event with Clio Rally4 and his co-driver Sedat Bostanci. Gradually gaining momentum with four top-fives in six stages, the duo finished fifth in RC4 ahead of the other Clio Rally4 of Buğra Can Kiliç and Yusuf Çalik.

Next on the calendar is the return of Clio Trophy Turkey’s Clio Rally5s to the tarmac of Bursa Rally (28-29 May ).

Elsewhere…

Clio Rally5 put on a show in the French Rally Cup, notably at the Rallye de Drap, where Tom Pieri & Amandine Borderie and Patrick Magnou & Anthony Vilanova engaged in a spectacular duel for victory in Rally5 and an overall top ten on the famous roads of Sospel, Lucéram, La Bollène and Turini. Despite a sixth scratch time for Tom Pieri in the decisive timed sector between the Col de l’Orme and the Col de Braus, Patrick Magnou won by 2.3 seconds. Another well-known Clio Trophy France Asphalte crew, Benjamin Stirling & Florence Wehrey completed the class podium.

Meanwhile, Frédéric Roussel and Charlie Poivre led Clio Rally5 one-two-three on Rallye de la Lys, beating Hugo Yellas & Vincent Varetz and Sylvain Fouteret & Damien Leriche. On Rallye de Lozère, the Rally5 podium was also monopolised by the Clios with the success of Sylvain Rouquette & Marjorie Mercier ahead of Johan Gres & Marie-Noëlle Ratier and Karine Hebrard & Sophie Giardina. Kévin Habelin and Alison Guillon also led Clio Rally5 to victory in their category on the Rallye des Côteaux du Layon while Alban and Manon Dauphin preceded Karl Jeannenez and Tomi Perret in the Clio Rally5 double at the Rallye du Pays d’Olliergues.

Out of France, João Colaço and José Patrício won the RC5 at the Rali Terras d’Aboboreira to move up to fourth in the Portuguese two-wheel-drive rally championship. Nuno Coelho and co-driver Rafael Paiva finished just off the podium in the RC4 category in their first-ever Clio Rally4 appearance.

Originally scheduled for this past weekend, the opening round of Clio Cup Ecuador was postponed due to freight delays. Clio Cup was however present at the semi-permanent circuit in Riobamba in the hands of Fernando Andrade, who took part in a race to showcase the potential of the car to its new public. Tests were also held with a number of prospects before the season kicks off next month at Cuenca/Paute.

Coming up

This week, the Clio Cup heads to Jarama (22-24 April) to kick off the Clio Cup Europe and Clio Cup Spain season with a field of more than 30 drivers for the category’s return to the Madrid circuit. At the same time, the Clio Trophy Italia will hold its first round in its new format as part of the Italian Asphalt Rally Championship (CIRA) at Rally Elba (23-24 April).