Mont-Blanc: Swiss in the supporting role 🎥

CARRON ONLY NINTH Instead of competing for SM points, the Swiss teams competed for respectable successes at the Rally Mont-Blanc Morzine in France. However, former champion Sébastien Carron had hoped for more. The 4-minute highlights of the first stage give a good impression of the quality of the field and the special stages around Mont-Blanc. Of the five scheduled runs for the Swiss [...]

Editorial - September 9, 2020

The 4-minute highlights of the first stage give a good impression of the quality of the field and the special stages around Mont Blanc.

Of the five scheduled rounds of the 2020 Swiss Rally Championship, only the Rallye du Mont-Blanc Morzine in France remained after the other organizers cancelled due to corona. So there are no SM titles to be won in the exceptional year of 2020 in motor racing.

Nevertheless, 30 Swiss teams competed, including six in the VHC category. However, only Sébastien Carron with co-driver Lucien Revaz had any chance of finishing among the French elite in the top ten of this class field - 30 teams in Group R5, plus three WRC cars and eight new Alpine A110 RGTs.

On their terrain, the French remained among themselves at the top. Yoann Bonato in the Citroën was once again the best (Photos: Jürg Kaufmann).

Strong Alpine A110
Yoann Bonato, who has won here three times in the last four years, was unbeatable again this year in his Citroen C3 R5. Brand colleague Quentin Gilbert, however, remained close on his heels this time (see results below).

The new Alpine A110 RGT were amazingly strong. Especially Manou Gigou, who even marked the best time in the first special stage, thus leading the race for a short time and subsequently finishing a great third.

In the hands of Manu Guigou, Alpine was able to show the potential of the A110 RGT.

Hard-hitting reality
At the wheel of a VW Polo - this time a specimen from tuner Balbosca - Sébastien Carron fought back to the best of his ability in the horde of French full and semi-professionals from France at his only rally this season. In the end, however, the Valais native had to settle for ninth place overall.

The best individual result was sixth place in SP8. Several times, however, a "creeping flat tire" on a front wheel slowed him down, without being able to explain the cause.

With Jonathan Scheidegger (Peugeot 208 T16) and Alain Blaser (Hyundai i20), two other Swiss also drove R5 cars. But they lost no less than 5.5 and 6 minutes respectively on the 183 timed SS kilometers to Carron as the Swiss reference.

In Switzerland he was number 1 for a long time, but around Morzine Sébastien Carron was powerless against the French and their better track knowledge.

Good performance by Vuistiner in the new Clio V
Fourth place in the Swiss classification went to Ismaël Vuistiner. The Valais native competed for the first time with partner Florence Kummer in one of the new Renault Clio V "Rallye 5" cars - a production-based FIA category introduced in 2020. The pair won the round of the Swiss Trophée Michelin, and in the giant field of the French Renault Trophy (37 participants) they still managed 10th place.

Ex-Junior Champion Aurélien Devanthéry took part in the French Peugeot Cup on a trial basis in one of the new Peugeot 208 Rally 4 (also new FIA group). In the third SS he landed with the four-wheel drive rented from his Ticino house tuner Gilauto after two punctures unnerved in the botany and had to give up because of a leaking oil cooler. After this zero, further races with the Peugeot are questionable for financial reasons.

Ismaël Vuistiner did well in the large field of the Renault Trophy with the new Clio RS V. He won the Trophée Michelin Suisse.

Althaus wins in the juniors
Behind Vuistiner and Sergio Pinto and his Renault Clio S1600, Julien Schopfer in his Peugeot 208 R2 held on to third place in the Trophée Michelin for a long time ahead of junior Sacha Althaus. In the ninth of 13 stages, however, Schopfer thoroughly demolished his Peugeot.

Althaus, who had to install his out-of-date replacement engine in the 208 after an oil pump failure in the shakedown, thus no longer had an equal opponent. Guillaume Girolamo had to pull out of the race at midday on Saturday with engine problems, having already been unable to keep up with him earlier. Brand colleague Michaël Droz also failed to get going.

David Erard from the Jura made his first appearance in the Juniors. With his Renault Clio V, he showed an appealing performance, while Maret (defect) and Dos Santos (crash) retired.

When Sacha Althaus was rid of his closest opponents, it was clearly enough for the junior victory even with the weaker spare engine.

Pascal Perroud close to VHC victory
After the favored Corsican Marc Valliccioni with CH license in the large field of VHC cars had to let his BMW M3 roll out already in the SP2, Pascal Perroud on a same car defended the Swiss colors with bravado. The Valais native fought right at the front of the BMW pack right from the start.

At the finish, Perroud only had to give way to his French brand colleague Rulland by 6.8 seconds. Pascal Bachmann was not yet fully in control of the handling of the Ford Sierra Cosworth 4×4, but it was still enough for fourth place.