A little over six weeks on from their appearance at the Rallye de France-Alsace, the French leg of the World Rally Championship, Axel Garcia and Fabien Pomares return to the Clio R3T and the Rallye du Var, where they clinched the French Junior Rally Championship title a year ago.

“We’ve got some wonderful memories of this rally,” said Axel Garcia. “The roads are fantastic and the scenery is amazing. The special at La Môle, with le Col du Canadel, has some stunning views of the Mediterranean, but we’ll only be able to enjoy them on the reconnaissance runs. When it comes to the race we’ll be focusing on our objective. We want to end on a positive note in what is our last rally of the year. I’m pleased we’ve got three days of driving ahead of us. It will give us a chance to do more work with Fabien and analyse our performances.”

After starting the season in the Twingo R.S. R2, Axel Garcia then had two outings in the Clio R3T, the car he will be rounding off the season in at the Rallye du Var. “Taking part in a third rally with the Clio R3T is a great opportunity for us. We want to show what the car can do and prove what we’re capable of too. We’re starting to get to know the car really well and to see its full potential. There’s also going to be a lot of competition, with more than 30 crews taking part in R3, which can only be a good thing because it will give us the chance to see how we compare with some top-class drivers.”

The aim for Renault Sport Technologies is to help Axel Garcia draw on all his potential at an event of the calibre of the Rallye du Var. “We’re going all out for the top spots in R3,” said team manager Sylvain Alanore. “It’s Axel’s third event in the Clio R3T after his excellent showing at the East Belgian Rally and his promising performance in Alsace. This rally is a chance for him to come of age. It’s a long event, which gives you time to pick up the pace, something Axel knows how to do. It would be very satisfying to see him finish among the leaders in R3. We’ve been working all year long with a driver who has tremendous potential, a bright future ahead of him and who we’re very pleased to be supporting all the way to the highest level.”

Following a day of testing on Monday, Axel and Fabien will carry out a number of reconnaissance runs before the start of the Rallye du Var on Friday. The three-day event finishes at noon on Sunday, with three specials on the card on days one and three and six timed stages taking place on Saturday.