French Rally Cup

Clio Rally4 and Clio Rally5 chalked up victories in the French Rally Cup. All eight Renaults entered in the Rallye Jean-Pierre Champeau reached the finish in Châteauneuf-la-Forêt with RC4 and two-wheel drive podiums monopolised by Clio Rally4 and fifth place overall for Philippe and Romain Rageau. Meanwhile, Clio Rally5 had swept the top five, led by Florian Bartaire and Marjolaine Patier.

Both models also scored a double win at the Rallye de Vaison-la-Romaine with a one-two result for Clio Rally4, led by Didier Dalmasso and Xavier Blanc, and first through fourth place finish for Clio Rally5, led by Tom Pellerey and Hervé Faucher.

Clio Rally5 also impressed, with an overall podium finish for Benjamin Stirling and Richard Monin on the Rallye de Meuse and an eighth place for Arthur Pelamourgues and Alizée Pottier on the Rallye Coeur des Vignobles. Lastly, Clio Rally5 won at the Rallye Baldomérien thanks to Pascal and Caroline Bérard while Matthieu Commaille and Tristan Gagnard claimed a class podium with Clio Rally4 at the Rallye du Pays Avallonnais.

Clio Rally4

Tom Pieri, Florian Bouchonneau and Benoit Verlinde, who won the Clio Trophy France Asphalte, Clio Trophy France Terre and Clio Trophy Belgium Junior categories last year with Clio Rally5 have unveiled their respective programmes. The three rally hopefuls will move on to the upper category this season, driving Clio Rally4s adorned with a spectacular Castrol livery.

More information here.

Clio Trophy Galicia

Building on the success of the inaugural Clio Trophy Canarias in 2022, Renault Spain will replicate the same formula in another region with the imminent launch of Clio Trophy Galicia. Supported by Recalvi, the Galician Renault Network, the Galician Automobile Federation and Michelin, this new single-brand trophy dedicated to Clio Rally5 will benefit from the experience of promoter Driveland Events. The five-event calendar will offer more than €30,000 in prize money to help the best competitors compete in Clio Trophy Spain Asfalto, Clio Trophy Spain Tierra and Clio Ice Trophy from 2024.

More information here.

And elsewhere

There were also many successes abroad. In Germany, Clio Rally5 scored a 1-2 in its class with Tim Wacker - Ann Felke and Emil Sørensen - Adam Hørlykke Christensen on the tarmac of the ADAC Rally 70 Kempenich. The Czech duo of Josef Navrátil - Zdeněk Omelka also led Clio Rally5 to victory in the ARC Blaufränkischland Rally that was held on the tarmac and gravel stages of Neckenmarkt (Austria).

In Italy, Marco Zanin and Massimi Moriconi led a 1-2-3-4 for Clio Rally5 on the gravel of Rally Città di Foligno. Staying in Italy, Massimo and Davide Dossena were the winners among the nine Clio Rally5 entries on the tarmac of the Motors Rally Show Pavia.

Clio Rally5 caused a sensation in Spain with a class win and second place overall for Carlos Rodríguez González and David Jesús Nieto Romero at Rallycrono Casabermeja, where the Clio Rally5 of Nicolás Cabanes Gómez and Javi Moltó Cantó also finished in the top five. Clio Rally4 was not to be outdone, taking the SM3 podium at the Jyväskylän Talviralli with Yuki Yamamoto and Miika Teiskonen in Jyväskylä (Finland).

Lastly, Jack Brennan and John McGrath scored their third consecutive win with Clio Rally5 on the Midland Stages Rally (Ireland). The young protégé of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy demonstrated his versatility and Clio Rally5’s by winning with a third different tyre manufacturer in as many starts !