9 October 2014
Axel Garcia shows the pace of the Clio R3T at the Rallye de France
No sooner had they completed an excellent showing at the East Belgian Rally, than Axel Garcia and Fabien Pomares were back in action again at the Rallye de France – Alsace. The duo made an excellent start in the World Rally Championship event, taking to the lead in the R3 standings after the first special. And though they were unable to make it to the finish line, Axel Garcia and the Clio R3T did enough to highlight their potential.
Fresh from their R3 class win at the East Belgian Rally, Axel Garcia and Fabien Pomares were brimming with confidence when they rolled up to the start line at the Rallye de France-Alsace. Competing in the Clio R3T, which has already proved itself an effective performer, the young duo had every prospect of success in a high-class field containing several Junior World Rally Championship drivers.
“With the Clio R3T showing its class on all surfaces, we knew that we had the ideal weapon for showing what we could do in a very competitive field,” said Axel Garcia. “We didn’t push too hard at the start of the first special. We just wanted to feel our way in, so we were very surprised when we got to the finish and found out we’d done the fastest time in R3.”
After notching the Clio R3T’s first stage win at this level, Axel and Fabien then went off on a muddy section, their race over all too soon. Returning the next day under Rally 2 regulations, the 2013 French Junior Rally champions posted a series of good times before hitting a stone loosened by the cars that had gone before them.
“We didn’t have much in the way of success and we’re really disappointed not to have picked up more experience,” added Axel Garcia. “It’s been a great experience for us though, and we would like to thank Renault Sport for this opportunity. It’s just a shame we couldn’t have done better in Alsace.”
“Axel showed his pace in leading the field in WRC 3, posting a stage win and building on his momentum from the East Belgian Rally,” said Renault Sport Technologies Team Manager Sylvain Alanore. “There were pitfalls all the way through and they went off after making a slight error on a tricky section. You can’t make any mistakes at this level, though these two rallies have once again underlined the potential of the Clio R3T and the pace Axel is capable of.”
The next event on the schedule for Axel Garcia and Fabien Pomares is the Critérium des Cévennes on 23-25 October, a French Rally Championship event in which they will be driving the Renault Twingo R.S. R2.
