The Rallye Terre des Cardabelles is hosting the Clio Trophy France Terre season finale for the fourth year running. With two victories so far in 2024, Tom Pellerey has secured the Junior category title but is eager to excel again to cap his campaign in style. The overall crown is in his sights as he seeks to follow in the footsteps of Quentin Ribaud, Florian Bouchonneau and Jean-Sébastien Vigion. Among his rivals, only Benjamin Boulenc can deny him the title. With 55 points up for grabs at the finish and up to five points on each of the ten special stages, Tom Pellerey controls his destiny, even with the worst score dropped at the end of the year.

Their duel will directly affect other battles, notably among the teams, where the winning structure will run Tom Pellerey’s car in his official programme in 2025. The top Junior and his team-mate - who should be named by Friday at the latest - will have to put in a faultless performance if they hope to close the gap between CHL Sport Auto and Fun Meca Sport by Meccanocar, represented by Benjamin Boulenc and Jean Paul Monnin. Tom Pellerey and Benjamin Boulenc will also fight for the Trophée Performer Jean Ragnotti, where the former comes in 21 points clear of his rival. Lastly, Tom Pellerey is also a contender in the Renault Network Challenge, where he will represent Agence De Luca with Ludovic De Luca against Bandelier Automobiles, the agent supporting Jean-Paul Monnin and Benjamin Boulenc !

Without the Rasoamaromaka twins, the places of honour remain hotly contested. A loyal Clio Trophy France Terre competitor who has never missed a round, Jean Paul Monnin will target a spot on the podium in the final general classification. However, the Franc-Comtois driver will face tough opposition from Alexandre Gransagne, who is determined to build on his third-place finish in Lozère. Benjamin Stirling and Jean Lavigne will also do their utmost to spray the champagne for the first time this year on gravel while Ludovic De Luca and Yannick Francisci will try to close in on the leaders. On the back of his first top-ten finish in Lozère, Christophe Truchet will look to confirm his progress, a target shared with Thomas Eustaquio, Gaël Bertrand and Benoit Verlinde. Meanwhile, Ludovic Casciani returns to the service park after a fine sixth place in Aléria earlier this season.

While Déborrah Marie has already secured the honorary title in the Women’s category, the Gentlemen’s class promises a spectacular showdown. Lilian Vialle currently leads the way, but Vincent Favre-Miville and Jean-Michel Da Cunha should give him a run for his money in the Aveyron. While the three have shared the spoils since the start of the season, they mustn’t underestimate Xavier Pruvot, Joan Font and Dimitri Felices, all of whom are still in contention. Bruno Zonta, who is making his Renault Clio Rally5 debut, completes the field although he is ineligible to score points.

Famed for its roads leaving little room for mistakes, the Rallye Terre des Cardabelles will be contested over ten special stages totalling 145 timed kilometres on a route of 568.07 km, including recce. On Saturday, three timed sectors, including Le Camp, will be run twice before the competitors tackle Vezins and Sévérac d’Aveyron twice on Sunday. Alongside the trophy, the event will include a Clio Rally4 and an impressive field of 12 Clio Rally3s.

Entry list
#43 Tom Pellerey – Hervé Faucher (J)
#44 Benjamin Boulenc – Chloé Barozzi-Gauze
#45 Benjamin Stirling – Richard Monin (J)
#46 Jean Paul Monnin – Melvin Fraigne
#47 Jean Lavigne – Arnaud Cubizolles (J)
#48 Alexandre Gransagne – Loïc Maurel
#49 Yannick Francisci – Carla Gaffayoli
#50 Jean-Michel Da Cunha – Bastien Dumas (G)
#51 Ludovic De Luca – José Boyer
#52 Thomas Eustaquio – Pauline Compozieux (J)
#53 Christophe Truchet – Barbara Truchet
#54 Benoit Verlinde – Anton Dupan (J)
#55 Lilian Vialle – Manuel Ghirardello (G)
#56 Ludovic Casciani – Raphaël Angelou
#57 Vincent Favre-Miville – Maelle Casays (G)
#58 Dimitri Felices – « Clochette » (G)
#59 Xavier Pruvot – Nathalie Pruvot (G)
#60 Joan Font – Enrique Velasco (G)
#61 Bruno Zonta – Yves Pontal (G)
#62 Gaël Bertrand – Fabien Adenot