One win and one retirement for the Yokohama Rally Team
At the Rallye du Chablais, not only Loeb and Carron thrilled the many spectators along the special stages, but also the two drivers from the Yokohama Rally Team. Unfortunately, Joël Rappaz retired while leading the S2000 class, but Christian Blanchard in the Clio S1600 won the national classification. The anticipation of Joël Rappaz and his French [...]
The anticipation of Joël Rappaz and his French co-driver Mélinda Beuret for the Rallye du Chablais was enormous. The third round of the 2017 Swiss Rally Championship was the home race par excellence for the likeable driver from Evionnaz. His garage + carrosserie Jospeed is located in the immediate vicinity of the starting point of the first special stage Evionnaz-Verneyraz.
So it was no wonder that Joël Rappaz at the wheel of his Yokohama-Peugeot 207 S2000 attracted attention with top times right from the start. On SS1, the man from Valais set the ninth fastest time among the faster vehicles from the R5 and R-GT categories.
Rappaz/Beuret also realized times between 10th and 13th place on the next four stages, so that by the sixth and final stage of Friday's first leg they occupied a great 10th intermediate place overall and were already 48 seconds ahead of their first rival in the S2000 class.
"Not only does my excellent track knowledge and motivation pay off here, but also the new Advan A0521T tires from Japan. Yokohama is providing me with a hard tire compound for dry asphalt here for the first time. These now offer very good grip from the start to the end of a longer special stage," Joël Rappaz explained enthusiastically.
Unfortunately, as in the Critérium Jurassien, he did not see the checkered flag. On SS6, Rappaz touched the wall with the rear of his Peugeot 207 S2000 in a narrow tunnel underpass and knocked off his right rear wheel. Thanks to 4WD, he still managed to drag himself to the finish of the stage, but had to park the car there and have it recharged due to the irreparable damage.
Naturally, the disappointment was great. "I was riding really well until then and felt very comfortable. I certainly didn't take any risks that were too big. That was a small mistake with a big effect. It's a shame, I'm sorry for the whole team."
Nevertheless, the Yokohama Rally Team had reason to celebrate at the end of the rally. Christian Blanchard and Frédéric Helfer brought their Renault Clio S1600 to the finish in 19th position, just under 12 minutes behind the famous overall winner Sébastien Loeb on Peugeot 208 R5.
Blanchard/Helfer thus won the separate national rally classification for cars that now only have Swiss homologation. "Finally, we were able to shake off our bad luck and bring the car to the finish line in one piece," Blanchard said happily on the podium. "This victory is good for us and for the whole Yokohama Rally Team."
The next round of the Swiss Rally Championship, the 20th Rally Ronde del Ticino, will take place on June 23 and 24 around Lugano.
