The Clio Ice Trophy was back in action for the season’s penultimate weekend, just a week after the previous round. Amongst the entries, the title contenders were present whilst brothers Marin Le Jossec (RX Evolution) and Tom Le Jossec (WRM by Chanoine Motorsport / SRD Racing) and Markel De Zabaleta (Driveland / Puzzle Motorsport) made their return. The field also included Guillermo Millan and Daniel del Villar at Driveland / Puzzle Motorsport as well as 2022 French Women’s Rallycross Cup winner Emma Chalvin (WRM by Chanoine Motorsport / SRD Racing).

DYLAN DUFAS AT THE SHARP END IN QUALIFYING

Demonstrating once again its growing popularity, the Clio Ice Trophy saw the Pas de la Casa Circuit and the GSeries set a third different track configuration. Last weekend’s winner Lucas Darmezin soon found his footing on the more technical 721 metre-long circuit. The Frenchman set the fastest time in free practice, 52:169s, ahead of teammate David Bouet and Andorran Alex Español.

Second in the general classification, Dylan Dufas took the lead in qualifying. Running in the second group on track, he stopped the clock at 52:280s, a reference time allowing him to score the maximum number of intermediate points. By beating Alex Español, David Bouet and Lucas Darmezin, all three of whom were less than half a second behind, Dylan Dufas also cut his deficit to two points from leader David Bouet ahead of the finals.

BOUET AND DARMEZIN AGAIN !

Final B poleman Alex Español got surprised at the start by Lucas Darmezin and Guillermo Millan, who started from second fifth on the grid. The Andorran driver regained the advantage over the Spaniard at the end of lap one before he began to close in on Lucas Darmezin, but the Frenchman kept his cool during the battle to claim his second Final win in just eight days. Guillermo Millan ended third despite the pressure from Mathieu Lannepoudenx (Brunet Competition) and Bryan Dufas (RX Evolution) while Emma Chalvin completed the order.

In the Final A, the poleman also lost the lead in the opening metres. Front-row starter David Bouet jumped into the lead from Dylan Dufas, but the the gap between the two was less than a second for the majority of the race. The leader nevertheless kept his rival at bay to seal his third victory in three finals contested so far. After passing Daniel del Villar on lap one, Marin Le Jossec went on to finish third ahead of the Spaniard, followed by Tom Le Jossec. Meanwhile, Markel De Zabaleta fended off his countryman Joaquin Rodrigo (Brunet Competition) in their duel for sixth.

FOUR DRIVERS FOR ONE TITLE

With another one-two finish for the #14 Clio Rally5 drivers in the most spectacular round so far, David Bouet retains control of the Clio Ice Trophy ahead of the season-finale. The 2021 French Junior Rallycross Champion enjoys a six-point lead over Dylan Dufas with Lucas Darmezin ten points further back. Fourth overall, Alex Español no longer controls his destiny, but the Andorran can still hope for an exploit to claim the title on home soil next Saturday.

Round 3 – Final classification
1. David Bouet 36 points
1. Dylan Dufas 36 points
3. Lucas Darmezin 34 points
3. Alex Español 34 points
5. Daniel del Villar 21 points
5. Marin Le Jossec 21 points
7. Mathieu Lannepoudenx 19 points
8. Guillermo Millan 18 points
9. Bryan Dufas 14 points
10. Tom Le Jossec 13 points
11. Emma Chalvin 8 points
11. Markel De Zabaleta 8 points
13. Joaquin Rodrigo 5 points

General classification - Round 3/4
1. Dylan Dufas 36 points
2. David Bouet 36 points
3. Alex Español 34 points
4. Lucas Darmezin 34 points
5. Daniel del Villar 21 points
6. Marin Le Jossec 21 points
7. Mathieu Lannepoudenx 19 points
8. Marin Le Jossec 37 points
9. Mauro Polderman 29 points
10. Mathieu Lannepoudenx 28 points
11. Baptiste Panissie 26 points
12. Tom Le Jossec 13 points
13. Anthony Ghesquiere 24 points
14. Daniel del Villar 21 points
15. Guillermo Millan 18 points
16. Nicolas Flon 17 points
17. Markel De Zabaleta 16 points
18. Jérémy Sarhy 15 points
19. Stephan Polderman 13 points
20. Emma Chalvin 8 points
21. Helena Ferrer 5 points
22. Louka Bourd 5 points
23. Alain Cusimano 3 points

Full results are available here.

ABOUT THE CLIO ICE TROPHY

Introduced in 2022, the Clio Ice Trophy offers spectacular races on ice on the Pas de la Casa circuit in Andorra. Run in conjuction with the GSeries, the Clio Ice Trophy draws on synergies within Renault Group, including the experience of Alpine Racing customer racing department based in Viry-Châtillon and the competition department at the Alpine Dieppe Jean Rédélé Manufacture. For its second edition, the Clio Ice Trophy will take place over four rounds and as many different track configurations of the highest altitude permanent circuit in the world.

ABOUT RENAULT

Renault, a historic mobility brand and pioneer of electric vehicles in Europe, has always developed innovative vehicles. With the ‘Renaulution’ strategic plan, Renault has embarked on an ambitious, value-generating transformation moving towards a more competitive, balanced and electrified range. Its ambition is to embody modernity and innovation in technology, energy and mobility services in the automotive industry and beyond.