Boris Carminati and Jerome Redon made a fast start to the Rallye National du Gard, moving into second place in the R3/N4 class before dropping down to third at the end of day one. Their rally came to an end the following day, however, when mechanical problems forced their retirement. Also at the wheel of a Renault Clio R.S. R3, Mickael Reydellet and Thomas Chauffray picked up the torch by climbing up to third in R3/N4 at the end of SS6 and fifth overall.

Though they were pushed hard by Pascal and Caroline Berard, the pair held on to their third place in the class and even secured a place on to the overall podium, with the Berards taking fourth. Bertrand Latour and Thomas Collongeon came in seventh from Eric and Annie Perier, and Thierry Dubois and Christophe Jaffre finished tenth. Despite pulling out of the event before the start, Laurent Lacomy retained his overall lead in the class, with Pascal Berard, Jerome Chavanne and Mickael Reydellet completing the first four.

In the R2 class Georges and Valerie Gonon held second place after the first special, ahead of Jordan Mottard and Thierry Devaux. Getting the most out of his Twingo R.S. R2, Georges Gonon took the class lead following the opening special on day two, and though he held a comfortable advantage over Jordan Mottard, he continued to attack all the way to the finish line, claiming his second R2 win of the year. Jordan Mottard and Thierry Devaux took second from William Pitot and Alexis Estival, while Sylvain Canut and Sarah Salelles finished fifth. Georges Gonon’s win took him back to the top of the Renault Sport Challenge R2 standings at the expense of William Pitot.

The heat was on in the R1 class right from the opening specials. Aurelien Lafont and Aurelien Verdenet were the first to jump into the lead, while also Antoine Margely/Francois-Xavier Delabarre and Nicolas Renchet/Tom Fitzgerald also excelled themselves. Less than a second separated the leading three crews by the end of day one, which saw Maxime Goetz and Marine Jeannot disqualified for arriving late for a stage following a mechanical problem.

The second day was every bit as keenly contested as the first, with Lafont, Margely and Renchet each giving as good as they got. Third heading into SS8, Aurelien Lafont launched a concerted attack to wrest the lead, while mechanical trouble on the following stage ended Nicolas Renchet’s race. Aurelien Lafont sealed the win, his first of the season, in SS10, with Antoine Margely second, Pierre Vernet/Justine Camaly third and Emilien Sanlaville/Arnaud Cubizolles fourth. Margely’s runner-up slot took him level with Renchet at the top of the class standings.

The next round of the Renault Sport Challenge is the Rallye National de Bretagne on 20-22 June.

Rallye National du Gard results
R3/N4 class
3. Mickael Reydellet/Thomas Chauffray (Renault Clio R.S. R3) 1:27:27.2
4. Pascal Berard/Caroline Berard (Renault Clio R.S. R3): 1:27:41.0
7. Bertrand Latour/Thomas Collongeon (Renault Megane R.S. N4): 1:29:34.2
8. Eric Perier/Annie Perier (Renault Clio R.S. R3): 1:20:48.9
10. Thierry Dubois/Christophe Jaffre (Renault Clio R.S. R3): 1:34:55.1

R2 class
1. Georges Gonon/Valerie Gonon: 1:31:29.9
2. Jordan Mottard/Thierry Devaux: 1:32:41.2
3. William Pitot/Alexis Estival: 1:33:26.8
5. Sylvain Canut/Sarah Salelles: 1:37:22.7

R1 class
1. Aurelien Lafont/Aurelien Verdenet: 1:35:05.6
2. Antoine Margely/Francois-Xavier Delabarre: 1:36:05.2
3. Pierre Vernet/Justine Camaly: 1:37:37.0
4. Emilien Sanlaville/Arnaud Cubizolles: 1:39:56.6

Renault Sport Challenge standings after the Rallye National du Gard
R3/N4 class
1. Laurent Lacomy, 51 points (8 + 25 + 18 + DNC*)
2. Pascal Berard, 42 (15 + 15 + DNC + 12)
3. Jerome Chavanne, 36 (18 + 18 + DNC + DNC)
3. Mickael Reydellet, 27 (12 + DNC+ DNC + 15)
4. Boris Carminati, 25 (25 + DNC + DNC + DNC)
4. Anthony Cosson, 25 (DNC + DNC + 25 + DNC)

R2 class
1. Georges Gonon, 68 (18 + 25 + DNC + 25)
2. William Pitot, 63 (15 + 18 + 15 + 15)
3. Marvin Sorin, 37 (DNC + 12 + 25 + DNC)
4. Jordan Mottard, 33 (DNC + 15 + DNC + 18)

R1 class
1. Nicolas Renchet, 43 points (18 + 25 + DNC + DNC)
1. Antoine Margely, 43 (DNC + DNC + 25 + 18)
3. Theo Chalal, 40 (12 + 10 + 18 + DNC)
4. Romain Auvert, 37 (25 + 0 + 12 + DNC)
5. Emilien Sanlaville, 27 (15 + DNC + DNC + 12)
6. Aurelien Lafont, 25 (DNC + disq. + DN. + 25)

*Did not compete