Romain Di-Fante back on top heading to the season-finale
Clio Ice Trophy – Round 3 review
31 January 2022
Tension rose a notch in the penultimate round of the Clio Ice Trophy. Romain Di-Fante (Naudon Rallye Services) won the event after two eventful races on the track, ahead of his team manager Nathael Naudon (Naudon Rallye Services) and Belgian driver Benoît Verlinde (Q-Grafix Racing). Heading to the final round of the calendar, three drivers are still in contention for the inaugural Clio Ice Trophy title.
After a week's break, the Clio Ice Trophy was back in action on Saturday with round three of the season in the Crèdit Andorrà GSeries. The discipline demonstrated, once again, its growing popularity with a record field of fifteen entries thanks to the arrival of several protagonists from the Clio Cup scene, rallying and other horizons.
VERLINDE QUICKEST, LANNEPOUDENX MOST CONSISTENT
Round three, held at an altitude of 2,400 metres above sea level, offered a third different layout of the Pas de la Casa circuit. Mathieu Lannepoudenx (Brunet Competition) was the quickest to adapt on the 702-metre track, besting Benoît Verlinde in free practice before the positions were reversed in qualifying, when the Belgian driver took pole position, despite running in the first group on the track. Mathieu Lannepoudenx, however, scored maximum points in the intermediate classification ahead of Romain Di-Fante and Benoît Verlinde thanks to his best accumulated time over the five laps.
DI-FANTE AND NAUDON GO ON THE OFFENSIVE
In the B Final, Romain Di-Fante took the lead from Benoît Verlinde at the start. The poleman tried to fight back, but the new leader went on to win with a five-second margin. Pierre Paul Baltolu (Naudon Rallye Services), who led the general classification coming into the weekend, finished third in the Clio Ice Trophy and the two-wheel-drive category. Spaniard Tomas Martinez (Brunet Competition) was next, followed by Arthur Bourion (Brunet Competition), Eric Sauteur (Andorra Location) and Thibaud Ries (Driveland), who rounded out the order after the withdrawal of Jochen Claerhout (Q-Grafix Racing) for personal reasons.
In the A Final, Mathieu Lannepoudenx held on to the lead early on, but Nathael Naudon and Bernard Bathedou (Andorra Location) made it a race. Despite the increasingly heated on-track action, the Naudon Rallye Services team manager got the upper hand in the final laps to take the win ahead of Mathieu Lannepoudenx, who was penalized ten seconds for an on-track contact, dropping him behind newcomers Bernard Bathedou (Andorra Racing) and Jordi Palomeras (Driveland). The Catalan had earlier cleared Koen Verlinde (Q-Grafix Racing), while Pauline Dalmasso (Naudon Rallye Services) found an opening on Allison Viano (Q-Grafix Racing) to finish sixth and take a first step towards the best female spot in the general classification.
AN INTENSE FINAL IN SIGHT
With his second victory of the season, Romain Di-Fante reclaims the lead of the Clio Ice Trophy before the season-finale scheduled for Saturday, 5 February. The Nice native is eight points ahead of Pierre Paul Baltolu and eleven to the good from Mathieu Lannepoudenx, the only two drivers now in a position to deny Romain Di-Fante the title. Meanwhile, the Clio's continue to sit on top of the Crèdit Andorrà GSeries two-wheel-drive championship. This crown will also be decided among the three contenders next week.
For more information, please contact cliotrophy@fr.alpineracing.com or visit cliorally.com.
"I have mixed feelings after this round. Qualifying was closer than ever and it shows the level is becoming more balanced and more competitive with some new drivers, more used to close racing than us rallymen. Everything went well in my final with a very clean overtake on Benoît, and I thank him for his sportsmanship. The fight in the second final went my way, but I can't fully enjoy this victory even if I reclaim the lead in the general classification. I am not expecting to be racing next Saturday, but it has been a great experience and I have had a lot of fun discovering a new category and new sensations with Clio Rally5."
Romain Di-Fante
ROUND 3 – FINAL CLASSIFICATION
- ROMAIN DI-FANTE - 38 POINTS
- NATHAEL NAUDON - 32 POINTS
- BENOIT VERLINDE - 29 POINTS
- MATHIEU LANNEPOUDENX - 27 POINTS
- PIERRE PAUL BALTOLU - 24 POINTS
- BERNARD BATHEDOU - 23 POINTS
- JORDI PALOMERAS - 15 POINTS
- TOMAS MARTINEZ - 15 POINTS
- ARTHUR BOURION - 14 POINTS
- KOEN VERLINDE - 10 POINTS
- PAULINE DALMASSO - 9 POINTS
- ALLISON VIANO - 8 POINTS
- ERIC SAUTEUR - 8 POINTS
- THIBAUD RIES - 6 POINTS
- JOCHEN CLAERHOUT - 0 POINT
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (ROUND 3/4)
- ROMAIN DI-FANTE - 103 POINTS
- PIERRE PAUL BALTOLU - 95 POINTS
- MATHIEU LANNEPOUDENX - 92 POINTS
- BENOIT VERLINDE - 56 POINTS
- PAULINE DALMASSO - 44 POINTS
- BRYAN DUFAS - 41 POINTS
- DYLAN DUFAS - 34 POINTS
- ARTHUR BOURION - 34 POINTS
- NATHAEL NAUDON - 32 POINTS
- KOEN VERLINDE - 30 POINTS
- FERNANDO NAVARRETE - 23 POINTS
- BERNARD BATHEDOU - 23 POINTS
- GUILLERMO MILLAN - 17 POINTS
- JORDI PALOMERAS - 15 POINTS
- TOMAS MARTINEZ - 15 POINTS
- MARKEL DE ZABALETA - 13 POINTS
- PATRICK CHIAPPE - 13 POINTS
- ENRIQUE HERNANDO - 12 POINTS
- ALVARO LOBERA - 12 POINTS
- JONATHAN ARNOULD - 8 POINTS
- ALLISON VIANO - 8 POINTS
- ERIC SAUTEUR - 8 POINTS
- THIBAUD RIES - 6 POINTS
- JOCHEN CLAERHOUT - 0 POINT
Introduced in 2022, the Clio Ice Trophy offers spectacular races on ice on the Pas de la Casa circuit in Andorra. As part of the Crèdit Andorrà 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 factory in Dieppe. For its inaugural edition, the Clio Ice Trophy will take place over four rounds and as many different track configurations at the same location, where abundant snow and fantastic sliding conditions promise to be the order of the day.
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.
médiathèque
Introduced in 2022, the Clio Ice Trophy offers spectacular races on ice on the Pas de la Casa circuit in Andorra. As part of the Crèdit Andorrà 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 factory in Dieppe. For its inaugural edition, the Clio Ice Trophy will take place over four rounds and as many different track configurations at the same location, where abundant snow and fantastic sliding conditions promise to be the order of the day.
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.
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