FIA World Rally Championship

Already impressive at the start of the season on Rallye Monte-Carlo, Matteo Chatillon and Maxence Cornuau demonstrated again their talent in the Clio Rally3 on their WRC3 debut. The ARL Sport crew gradually raised their game in an extremely tough field in Croatia and set the fastest times in the last two stages of a highly challenging rally to take second place on the podium.

Sixteenth in the Power Stage, the French duo finished just outside the overall top 20 and equalled Clio Rally3’s best-ever result in WRC3. Matteo Chatillon and Maxence Cornuau’s performance moved them into the top five in the championship. Meanwhile, Clio Rally5 scored its 23rd world victory in RC5, with Igor Tomljanović and Florian Šalec victorious on home soil.

Danish Rally Championship

One Clio Rally3 and five Clio Rally5s lined up for the opening round of the season, the Yding Rally. Carsten Jensen and Michael Fasterholdt dominated their class for a comfortable win in RC3 on the tarmac stages. Clio Rally5 also demonstrated its incredible performance level, with a sweep of the top four in RC5, led by Jacob Egholm and Sarah Haulrik, sixth overall in the rally.

French Rally Championship

Clio Rally5 continued its success in the French Rally Championship on the Rallye Rhône-Charbonnières. Anthony Diel and Yannis Gosselin led a lockout of the top five in RC5. Styve Juif and Maxime Biegalke, who won last year’s Michelin Trophy with Clio Rally4 and Clio Rally5, made their debut in Rally2 and finished fifth, highlighting the skill level of the competitors who have come through the ranks of Clio Trophy France.

Swiss Rally Championship

Laurent Reuche and Patrick Spart, also coming from Clio Trophy France, made a successful debut with Clio Rally3, winning in RC3 at the Critérium Jurassien despite a puncture on SS4. The same tarmac stages also saw Cédric Moulin and Michaël Volluz win with Clio Rally4 while finishing runner-up in the Swiss Cup and the Michelin Alps Trophy. Still in Saignelégier, Philippe Houmard and Jérôme Sohier led an all-Clio Rally5 top four in RC5.

French Rally Cup

Clio Rally3, Clio Rally4 and Clio Rally5 were all winners on the Rallye de la Lys, with Christophe and Audrey Lanssens, Antoine Dhaisne and Rémi Calonne and Grégory Perrard and Francis Leclercq respectively. Other successes included the double victory of Thierry Landais - Morgan Lefebvre (Clio Rally4) and Willy Mathey - Nelly Guillé (Clio Rally5) on the Rallye des Côteaux du Layon. Lastly, Clio Rally5 claimed the top five places in its class, led by Emeric and Sylvia Pollet, on the Rallye de Drap, and another one-two-three finish for Clio Rally5 on the Rallye du Pays Gentiane, dominated by Pierre-Marie and Nathalie Lacroix.

And elsewhere…

Clio Rally3 also won in Poland in the hands of Hubert Kowalczyk and co-driver Dawid Potępa, victorious in PRO1 and fifth overall on the Tech-Mol Rally.

Meanwhile, Clio Rally5 added to its list of honours thanks to Bulgarians Petar Yordanov and Lyubka Yordanova, winners in C6 and finishers in the overall top ten of the Rally Sprint Thermaikou (Greece). Portugal’s Henrique Azenha and Hugo Marques won in P2-4 on Rally Terras de Auren (Portugal), as did Andrea De Nunzio and Alessandro Rossi among the 16 Clio Rally5 crews at the Rally Prealpi Orobiche (Italy). Nicola Morlacchi and Debora Fancoli finished second on the Italian asphalt but won in the category for drivers under 25.

Finally, Jorge Cagaio won the Ral.li La Llana overall. The 2020 and 2021 Clio Trophy Spain title-winner and co-driver Javier Martínez won round one of the Spanish Asphalt Rally Cup with the Alpine A110 Rally against a host of Rally2 four-wheel-drive cars, underlining once again the developmental qualities of Clio Rally5.

Coming up

This weekend, Renault Clio will feature on all playgrounds. Round two of the Clio Cup Series, Clio Cup España and Clio Cup France will be run at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (Portugal). Clio Trophy Belgium will kick off on the Rallye de Wallonie, where title holders Lander Depotter and Jasper Maelfait will launch their official Clio Rally3 programme. Lastly, 11 Clio RXs will be at Lessay for the FFSA French Junior Rallycross Championship opening round.

Picture : DPPI / Alpine Racing & Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool