FIA NACAM Rally Championship

Round two of the FIA NACAM Rally Championship, the RAC 1000 Rally saw the Clio Rally5s of Gustavo Uriostegui - David Hernández and Emiliano Retama - Diego Retama battle for the lead on the gravel roads around San Luis Potosí. Emiliano and Diego Retama took the lead on SS4 and scored big points with their victory in the NACAM4, NACAM Junior and two-wheel drive categories. Also fifth overall in this event, which also marked the start of the Mexican Rally Championship, the duo took advantage of their second consecutive victory to extend their lead in NACAM4 and NACAM Junior classes ahead of Rally Sierra Aguascalientes (11-13 May).

Clio Trophy Ecuador

Sebastian Guerrero and Edgar Parreño, who won the season-opening FFF Rally, made it two on the trot on the Rally del Azuay. Following a breathtaking duel with Javier Serrano and Daniel Galarza, the duo took the lead on SS5. Winners ahead of Andrés Gómez - Mateo Gómez and Esteban Lopez - Juan Carlos Molina, Sebastian Guerrero and Edgar Parreño also set the best time in the Power Stage to increase their lead in the general classification, helped by the exit of John Paul Gonzalez and Luis Felipe Valverde in the first stage. The competitors will next be in action on Rally Imbabura (18-21 May).

French Rally Cup

Clio Rally4 and Clio Rally5 were successful in their respective classes, with three double victories this weekend. Both models won at the Rallye de Drap, with Didier Dalmasso - Xavier Blanc and Christophe Tramaloni - Julien Tramaloni, but also at the Rallye Mouzon-Frézelle with Fabrice Martin - Romain Gavoye and Jérôme Janny - Virginie Josefiak and at the Rallye des Côteaux du Layon with Thomas Bordagaray - Antoine Loiseau and Antoine Bordagaray - Pierre Renault.

Similarly, Clio Rally5 dominated the proceedings on the Corsican tarmac of the Ronde de la Giraglia with a sweep of the top eight led by Ludovic Santini and Morgan Beneventi, who were also third in the two-wheel drive category. There was more success on the Rallye du Bassin Annonéen with a one-two result led by Alban Dauphin and Émilie Faure, and another on the Rallye de Séquanie with Enzo Beschet and Alexandre Monnin.

And elsewhere

There were several notable successes across Europe. In Spain, Manuel Hernández Padrón and David Bethencourt took fourth overall on the Rallysprint Ciudad de Arucas to win the two-wheel drive category and lead a Clio Rally5 top four in their group. Xesús Alfonsín and Daniel Sosa led their Clio Rally5 to class victory on the special stages of Rally Tierras Altas de Lorca, where Unai de la Dehesa and Alain Peña continued their Clio Rally4 training on gravel with the Renault Recalvi Rally Team.

In Italy, Matteo Greco and Corrado Bonato won the Rally Regione Piemonte in a Clio Rally5, whilst Marco Varetto and Vittorio Bianco did the same in the CRZ version of the event. Martin Čendak and Jakob Markežič led a Clio Rally5 lockout of the top six on the Dolomiti Brenta Rally. The Clio Rally4 of Dinarte Baptista and Igor Velosa in their Clio Rally4 finished in the top ten on the Rali Município de São Vicente (Portugal).

Lastly, round one of the Turkish Rally Championship also saw Clio Rally5 win in the RC5 in the hands of Tuncer and Asena Sancakli on the gravel of Rally Bodrum.

Coming up

This week the Clio Cup Series heads to the Autodromo Nazionale Monza for round two of the season. The first meeting of 2023 for Clio Cup Europe, Clio Cup Italia and Clio Cup Mid-Europe will feature a 49-car field, with new contenders including the European title holder Anthony Jurado.

On the special stages, Tom Pieri will make his second start in the official Castrol Clio Rally4 entered in the French Rally Championship. Along with co-driver Alexis Maillefert and the 3P Racing by BHR team, the Marseilles native will try to confirm the potential he showed at the start of the season on the Antibes Côte d’Azur Rally. The newly created Clio Trophy Galicia will also hold its inaugural event with eight crews on the Rallye do Cocido.