Citroën Racing Trophy – Rallye de France Alsace 2010 – 30 September/03 October
The pulses of the Citroën Racing Trophy crews will be racing as they compete on theGrand National, which is also the sixth round of the French asphalt championship.
This all-new event, which will also form part of the prestigious World RallyChampionship, breaks new ground for the Citroën Racing Trophy, which is sure torise to the occasion of this latest challenge.
The majestic city of Strasbourg, classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO, will hostthe Rallye de France and the Grand National for the first time, putting together two topclassmotorsport events. This will allow all the competitors to sample the entirety of therally itinerary through Alsace, which is well known for being fast and tricky – particularlywhen conditions become foggy. Nobody holds a particular advantage over the varied routethat takes in vineyards, rivers, and medieval fortresses, where reliability and endurance arekey ingredients to a strong performance. While the French Championship classification isfrozen at the end of 12 stages and 219 competitive kilometres, the crews will then havethe chance to continue their adventures by contesting virtually all of Sunday’s stages,adding an extra 100 competitive kilometres.
This will be the perfect occasion for all the Trophy competitors to measure themselvesagainst world-class opposition, under a format and regulations that are different to whatthey know. Frenchman Marc Amourette, who is sure to be a frontrunner in his C2 S1600,will meet some well-known rivals and is sure to have his heart set on starring in thecategory. At the wheel of the C2-R2 MAX, the fired-up Germain Bonnefis, current Trophyleader Jean-Renaud Marchal, and local man
Jérôme Schmitt are likely to be at the forefront of R2 with just one objective: winning theclass on this highly unusual rally. The Citroën Racing Trophy Ireland champion, MartinMcCormack, will also take the start and could well give the established favouritessomething to think about. After making a lot of progress since the start of the season,Mathieu Artzner and Mickaël Reydellet will be super-motivated. They both now feelextremely comfortable with the C2-R2 MAX and this rally represents a golden opportunityfor them to up their pace and bring home an important haul of points. Eric Lafont, codrivenby his wife Nadine, is contesting the rally in order to experience something newwhile enjoying himself behind the wheel of his C2-R2 MAX.
Jean-François Liénéré, in charge of Citroën Racing’s customer competition department,said: “The Citroën Racing Trophy drivers will have to step up a gear on this rally, asthey are going to be subject to the same rules and technical conditions of a WorldRally Championship event. The pace and the format will be rather different to whatthey are accustomed to, so it’s sure to be a very interesting experience. The rallyroute – which is reputed to be extremely quick – is going to be brand new foreveryone and it is sure to test cars and people to the limit. Local weather conditions,which are often complex at this time of year, are sure to be a determining factor ofthe rally, where the reliability and endurance of the C2-R2 MAX will be tested morethan ever.”
On Friday 1 October, the 140 crews will start the Rallye de France Alsace for three hecticdays of competition between the Rhine and the Vosges.
What they thought before the start…
Marc Amourette (C2 Super 1600): “It’s a fantastic adventure for us to embark on suchan unaccustomed rally like this one. There are going to be some very fierce rivals out there,but we’re going to do everything we can to show the very best of ourselves and come closeto the best in class.”
Mathieu Artzner (C2-R2 MAX): “We don’t know anything at all about this type of event,so our objective will be simply to put in a good performance. It’s a massive rally for us, andthe experience that we are sure to gain is already like scoring a victory.”
Germain Bonnefis (C2-R2 MAX): “By competing on a high-profile event like this one,which forms part of the World Rally Championship, I am making a dream that I’ve hadsince I was a boy finally come true. From a sporting point of view, our goal will be to go forthe win in the R2 class and the Citroën Racing Trophy standings. Beyond that, I would loveto put in some top stage times, in order to be as close as possible to the Super 1600cars.”
Eric Lafont (C2-R2 MAX): “Once more, the only real objective I have is to enjoy myself!We’ll start the Grand National with the same philosophy that we have on all the otherevents. Our goal is just to get to the finish and soak up the unique atmosphere of a WorldRally Championship event.”
Jean-Renaud Marchal (C2-R2 MAX): “We know already that it’s going to be a very trickyrally, both on cars and on people. The fact that we’re going to be subject to World RallyChampionship regulations is an additional hurdle. This is a brand new challenge and it’sup to us to make the most of it.”
Mickaël Reydellet (C2-R2 MAX): “We’re extremely proud to be a part of this rally inAlsace, which doubles up as a World Rally Championship event. We need to stay focussedand reliable throughout the 320 competitive kilometres that we are going to tackle, butwe’re determined to give our all to secure a good result.”
Jérôme Schmitt (C2-R2 MAX): “Even though we’re missing a bit of time in the car, we’reactually quite confident, as we really have a good feeling with the C2-R2 MAX. We’vewanted to take part in this round of the World Rally Championship for a long time now,but we’re under no illusions: we just want to get to the finish and drive a sensible rally.”
