Following their highly encouraging performance at the Rallye Aveyron-Rouergue Midi-Pyrénées, Axel Garcia and Fabien Pomares will make their return to the French rally Championship at this weekend’s Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine, where they look to maintain their upward curve in the Twingo R.S. R2. The event will also see the official debut of the Renault Clio R3T, the car the duo will be driving at next month’s Rallye de France-Alsace.

“I’m getting better and better with each rally,” said Axel. “We learned an awful lot in Le Rouergue, starting with the three good times we posted. We showed that we can really go for it. Our weekend came to an early end when we went off, the first time that’s happened to us since we started out in rally, though it’s helped us to get a better idea of where our limits are. I’m feeling confident going into this event, and I’m sure we’ll make an even better job of exploiting the tremendous potential of the Twingo R2.”

The Renault Twingo R.S. R2 Evo ought to be right at home on the roads of Haute Savoie, as Renault Sport Technologies Team Manager Sylvain Alanore explained: “The performance of the engine will give Axel and Fabien an extra edge. The rally follows an uphill route with lots of tight corners and there’ll be a lot of accelerating, which will suit the Twingo R.S. R2 Evo. It’s up to us to get the settings right so that the naturally aspirated engine can deliver its full potential despite the changes in altitude.”

Axel Garcia will be full of confidence in the Alpine specials having showcased his skills in the mountains in the Renault Twingo R.S. R1 last year, en route to winning the national junior title. “Last year I took a big step forward at this event in terms of taking pace notes and driving,” said the Montpellier driver. “They’re long roads where you can really go into the corners hard. If you want to get an edge over the rest of the field you have to really know when to attack and brake as late as possible on the downhill sections.”

Sylvain Alanore, who has been right by the side of the French Junior rally champion since the start of the season, sees the Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine as a genuine opportunity for his driver to make an impact. “Axel put in a great performance in Le Rouergue and he’s going to have the benefit of a day’s testing before this next rally. The aim is for him to hit the ground running in the opening specials and reproduce the kind of pace he was showing in July. There’s going to be a lot of competition, but he’s got what it takes to be right up there at the top of the R2 standings. He’ll be part of a Renault Sport Technologies team that’s also going in with the Renault Clio R3T, a car that he’ll be driving in early October at the Rallye de France-Alsace. That’s going to put even more of a spotlight on his performances and I’m sure this event is going to be a springboard for him.”

Preceded by Thursday’s shakedown, the Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine will take place this Friday and Saturday. Axel Garcia and Fabien Pomares will end their season by competing in the Rallye de France-Alsace in the Clio R3T and then taking part in the final two rounds of the French Rally Championship with the Twingo R.S. R2.