More than 160 crews will take the start on Saturday June 15 of the 51st Rallye national du Gard. The fight looks promising on the Cévennes roads: at least six drivers will compete for the final victory.
The 51st edition of the Rallye du Gard, which will begin with technical checks from 4 p.m., this Friday, June 14, at the Alès Mechanical Center, will continue on Saturday with classic times around La Grand-Combe.
“We had planned a completely new route, in the town of Lamelouze, but recent problems forced us to change our approachexplain the organizers. In a short time, we had to find a first special that was easy to organize. As a result, we returned to the 2022 route, with a first long time of 20 km to be covered three times between La Beaume and Le Pendis, via the Col de La Baraque.”
The second time remains unchanged, it is the Sainte-Cécile-d’Andorge special where the drivers will also pass there three times. The finale will take place on the Pôle Alésien rally track where the closed, regrouping and assistance parks will be held.
Nicolas, Constanty, Lacomy, Masclau and the others
With entrants from the VHRS, VMRS and VHC rallies, more than 160 competitors will be at the start. In modern rallying, in the wake of the Rallye du Viganais where a fierce duel opposed Dorian Nicolas, winner by 8 tenths, and his club friend Kévin Constanty, we will find these two in the fight.
For the victory, we will also have to count on the Aixois Laurent Lacomy, at the wheel of a C3 Rally2, winner here in 2021, and the Ardéchois Arnaud Masclau (Skoda Rally2) who combines remarkable performances on asphalt and in the gravel championship.
Even if he will be on new ground, the Vesoul driver Paul Euvrard (Hyundai I 20 Rally2), four times on the podium this season and also a declared candidate for victory in the final in Nice, will not come to do of the figure.
Yannick Vivens, always a safe bet
As for Yannick Vivens, who will race in a DS3 Rally2, also the author of a remarkable start to the season (2nd in the Lozère Rally, victory in the Printemps Rally), he knows the subject perfectly and will obviously be eyeing the highest step of the podium.
Able to join in the fight, the Gardois Thierry Brunet (Skoda), Fabrice Morel (DS3), Gaëtan Olmi (Hyundai), Sébastien Martinez (Skoda) and Laurent Sagnes (DS3) will have perfect knowledge of the terrain.
In the R GT group, on a fast first special, we will have to watch the Alpine of Jean-François Mourgues and the Porsches of Serge Sastre and Loïc Panagiotis, the latter having been seen to his advantage at the Rallye des Vins du Gard.
Fierce fight ahead in a tough FRC4 group
In the FRC4 group, particularly tough, facing big names like Jérémie Sérieys (Clio R3), Luc Payan (Saxo), Anthony Puppo (Clio Super 1 600), a former winner, Warren and Gaël Tribouillois, the Gardois Julien Bourguignon (Clio R3), Mathieu Plan (DS3), Kevin Corbier (Clio), Nathanaël Zappaconsta, Ludo Malhautier (106) and Boris Bazalgette (208 RC4) will have a lot to do.
In FR Nat, Benjamin Cardénas (306 Maxi) will start favorite. Serge Dufour (BMW) and Nicolas Viougeas (306) will try to keep up the pace while in FRC5, Salindrois Sylvain Rouquette (Clio RC5) holds the rope.
