28 March 2012
Nicolas Romiguiere eyes home win in the Twingo R.S.enaultsport R2 Evo
Reigning French junior rally champion Nicolas Romiguiere has made a fine start to his partnership with the new Twingo Renaultsport R2 Evo. Victorious in the R2 class at the Rallye du Touquet, the driver from Aveyron in the south of France is now gearing up for his home event, the Rallye Terre des Causses.
Romiguiere and co-driver Alexis Nèegre had two test sessions behind them when they made their first competitive outing of 2012 at Le Touquet, the opening leg of the French Rally Championship, with the Renault Sport duo going on to claim their maiden win in the R2 class.
“Things couldn’t have gone better in our first drive in Twingo Renaultsport R2 Evo,” said the 24-year-old. “It’s never easy to make your debut in a new car but we managed to achieve all our objectives. We needed to reach the finish line in this first rally to get off on the right foot this season. The car proved very reliable and competitive too.”
Having got to grips with the Twingo Renaultsport R2 Evo in testing, Romiguiere showed just what it could do in race conditions. “The roads at Le Touquet are pretty unique and we spent day one getting the set-up right,” he said. “We had a perfect understanding with the Renault Sport team, and we were on exactly the same wavelength. The Twingo Renaultsport R2 was very easy to drive by the end of the first stage, and we really got a kick out of upping the pace all the way to the finish line. To get the class win is an extra source of satisfaction for us.”
Following their first win on asphalt, Nicolas and Alexis are now aiming for victory on home soil in the Rallye Terre des Causses, the second event on the 2012 French Dirt Rally Championship calendar.
“We’re in a similar situation here,” he added. “This will be the Twingo Renaultsport R2’s dirt debut, and the workload will be different. I’m going to try and focus on the feel of the car and the set-up in the first stage and then look for speed.”
“I’ve taken part in this rally four times already. The specials are pretty quick and free-flowing, and I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of fun. Renault Sport did as much work on dirt as on asphalt during development and I think we can be very confident as to how the Twingo Renaultsport R2 Evo is going to perform on this surface.”
The Rallye Terre des Causses, which is being run for the 17th time, will take place on between 31 March and and 1 April between Capdenac and Villeneuve d’Aveyron. Covering 139.68 timed kilometres in all, the route will be revealed on the morning of each stage, with Nicolas Romiguiere and Alexis Nèegre’s Twingo R.S.enaultsport R2 Evo taking car number 65.