Aside from the year’s three Renault Sport Challenge winners, there were a clutch of drivers lining up at the Rallye du Var in the Clio R3T, the newest of Renault Sport’s rally cars. The fastest of all of them was Manu Guigou, who finished eighth overall and took victory in the R3 class and the R group, with Pierre Marche finishing just behind him in the group and 11th in the overall standings to complete a notable one-two for the car.

“There were 32 cars lining up in the R3 class, but that didn’t stop the drivers in the Clio R3T from producing top-class performances,” said Renault Sport Technologies Team Manager Sylvain Alanore. “Six of the seven Clio R3Ts taking part reached the finish line, which proves just how reliable this new car is. Easy to handle and delivering better performance than other R3s, the Clio R3T is the best car in its class. A lot of very hard work went into its development and this result is an excellent reward for Renault Sport Technologies.”

All competing in the car, the 2014 Renault Sport Challenge winners received professional coaching and guidance in the week leading up to the rally, starting off with a day’s testing on the Tuesday before the race. And when the event got under way, they had to contend with some very untypical weather conditions for the south of France.

Unfortunately for Aurelien Lafont and Aurelien Verdenet, their adventure came to an early end following a misunderstanding over pace notes. Enjoying better fortunes, William Pitot and Alexis Estival made the most of the occasion to pick up plenty of experience in the Clio R3T, and Pascal and Caroline Berard put in the best performance of all, scoring a top-ten finish in the R3 class.

“Each crew had a different approach based on their career paths,” added Sylvain Alanore. “They were very focused and professional in testing, and though we had to put up with some pretty horrendous conditions, we were in confident mood by the time the start of the rally came around at noon on Friday. They are a lot more inexperienced than some of the other R3 crews, and they pretty much delivered the kind of performances you’d expect of drivers with their background.

“We’re disappointed for Aurelien Lafont and Aurelien Verdenet because they got off to a fast start and only got a brief glimpse of what the Clio R3T is capable of. William Pitot and Alexis Estival had an interesting rally from start to finish. They stepped up the pace and didn’t put a foot wrong. Meanwhile, Pascal and Caroline Berard went into the rally with more R3 experience under their belts, and it was no surprise to see them push that bit harder and claim a top-ten spot in the class. Overall, the Renault Sport Challenge winners ended the season in fine style and backed up their Challenge performances with some solid showings that augur well for them.”