Motorsport: First round to Sébastien Carron
The 2016 Swiss Rally Championship began with the 27th Int. Rallye Pays du Gier around the town of Saint Chamond in France. Sébastien Carron took the lead of the 108-car field on the very first short stage, followed by three-time Gier winner Ivan Ballinari (both Ford Fiesta R5). The man from Ticino was able to [...]
Although the man from Ticino was able to secure two fastest times on the second day, the first overall victory for Sébastien Carron and his navigator Lucien Revaz at the Rallye Pays du Gier was still clear, with a lead of more than half a minute after eight special stages over 145 kilometers. Pascal Perroud, the third favorite for the title, admitted himself that he was simply too slow in his Ford Fiesta R5. In fifth place, he lost almost three minutes to his colleague from the canton of Valais.
Marc Valliccioni unusual in a Porsche 997 GT3
The last place on the overall winner's podium was initially taken by Marc Valliccioni from Corsica, competing with a Swiss license in a Porsche 997 GT3. In the end, however, he had to admit defeat to Frenchman Kevin Despinasse in a Skoda Fabia S2000. However, Swiss fans can look forward to further appearances by the loud GT car.
Urs Hunziker was initially unable to keep up with the pace of the fastest drivers in his Mini Cooper WRC, which was also due to the fact that the instructions and communication with his new co-driver Bernd Hartbauer were initially not right. Urs Hunziker then had to retire on the second stage due to a faulty fuel pump. Mike Coppens was lucky that he survived a crash well enough to bring the damaged Citroën DS3 R5 home in seventh place overall and fifth in the SM classification behind Cédric Althaus in the Peugeot 207 S2000.
For Ruedi Schmidlin and Erich Götte, their first start after the serious accident six months ago was primarily about finishing. The pair from Basel took no risks and brought their Mitsubishi Evo X safely to the finish in 16th place and second in the R4 class behind their brand colleagues Radoux/Forclaz.
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Photos: Jürg Kaufmann
