The title race picks up pace in Lozère

Twenty-nine crews will gather in Mende for a rally which could decide the fate of several competitors. The four best results will be counted at the end of the season to set the Clio Trophy France Terre final general classification, so for many, this penultimate round represents the last opportunity to make up ground or to secure big points before the Cardabelles!

In this context, Florian Bouchonneau heads to Lozère as the leader. With two podiums and a fifth place in three starts, he will aim for a first success to reaffirm his aspirations while relying on his experience of the Lozère stages to counter the ambitions of his pursuers. Three drivers among them have already won this year, including Julien Pontal. Confident after his victory in Langres, he will try to snatch the lead in the trophy and Junior category, which will be synonymous with a 2023 official Clio Rally4 programme. Florian Condamines and Jean-Paul Monnin shouldn't be overlooked as both are determined to return to the centre of the title race after lacklustre performances in Langres.

Several competitors could nevertheless add their names to the list of winners. The Malagasy twin brothers Faniry and Mika Rasoamaromaka will aim to continue their progress after their podium finish last month. Several Juniors also have to be closely followed, like Bastien Bergounhe after his return to the sharp end of the order in Langres, and Sam Taveneau, who has nothing to lose after two non-points scoring results.

Following his best time in the Jean Ragnotti Power Stage in Langres, Benjamin Boulenc also hopes to keep the momentum going, but other protagonists want to excel before the final round. It will be the case of Spain's Marcel Abad and Switzerland's Sébastien Studer, who finished third last year in Mende. Meanwhile, Jean Lavigne and Baptiste Panissié have their sights set on a first top five. Maxime Lafon, Emmanuel Guinchard and Mattéo Chatillon will do their utmost to confirm their speed with a convincing result, but this goal is also shared by Ludovic Casciani, Vincent Favre-Miville and Thomas Mouysset.

In the Gentlemen category, the battle promises to be fierce between Laurent Reuche and Lilian Vialle, who has cut his deficit to one point of his opponent thanks to his consistency. This week, the latter will have the experience advantage over the Swiss driver who makes his debut at this event, but both have to be wary once again of their rivals Eric Royère, Claudie Tanghe and Christophe Rocard. Philippe Morard, a gravel specialist known for his performances in France in his Renault 11 Turbo in the 1980s and 1990s, completes the category.

François Fraymouth and Gaël Alquier, who finished sixth and ninth respectively on the Rallye Terre des Causses before retiring at Castine, return, as does Justin Tamisier for his second appearance of the year. Lastly, Guillaume Lafitte makes his debut in the trophy at a rally he knows well.

Quentin Ribaud, who now trails the leader of the French two-wheel drive Gravel Rally Championship by three points, will continue his official Clio Rally4 programme to defend his national crown. Reigning FIA ERC3 and FIA ERC3 Junior Champion Jean-Baptiste Franceschi will also be in another Clio Rally4, as will Simon Heinemann, who finished fourth in the inaugural Clio Trophy France Terre season.

The 11th Rallye Terre de Lozère will be contested around Mende. After the shakedown and scrutineering on Friday, the first leg will consist of two identical loops of three stages before a Sunday consisting of two passes through Allenc and Le Born. The latter will form the longest stage of the rally and will host the Jean Ragnotti Power Stage with bonus points on offer in the morning. There will be 143.2 kilometres of timed action on a route totalling 367.25 km, excluding recce.

Entry list
#40 Florian Bouchonneau – Jeanne Rey (J)
#41 Julien Pontal – Loan Biagetti (J)
#42 Faniry Rasoamaromaka – Judi Rakatomalala (J)
#43 Florian Condamines – Damien Jole
#44 Jean Paul Monnin – Franck Gilliot
#45 Mika Rasoamaromaka – Bastien Pouget (J)
#46 Sam Taveneau – Pauline Boyer (J)
#47 Bastien Bergounhe – Mathieu Descharne (J)
#48 Laurent Reuche – Gaël Delasoie (G)
#49 Benjamin Boulenc – Chloé Barozzi-Gauze
#50 Marcel Abad – Pere Requena (J)
#51 François Fraymouth – Romain Felicelli
#52 Mattéo Chatillon – Maxence Cornuau (J)
#53 Lilian Vialle – Manuel Ghirardello (G)
#54 Maxime Lafon – Thomas Delmas (J)
#55 Baptiste Panissié – Gaël Lavernhe (J)
#56 Éric Royère – Gilbert Dini (G)
#57 Jean Lavigne – Arnaud Cubizolles (J)
#58 Philippe Morard – Vincent Groulier (G)
#59 Gaël Alquier – Marion Alquier
#60 Sébastien Studer – Patrick Spart
#61 Emmanuel Guinchard – Kilian Guinchard
#62 Ludovic Casciani – Céline Cavallaro
#63 Vincent Favre-Miville – Cédric Causse
#64 Claudie Tanghe – Jean-Christian d’Ennetières (G)
#65 Thomas Mouysset – Lucas Gineste (J)
#66 Christophe Rocard – Corinne Murcia (G)
#67 Justin Tamisier – Laurent Tamisier (J)
#68 Guillaume Lafitte – Marie-Noëlle Ratier