Designed to showcase the efficiency of Renault Sport cars in the various classes in which they compete, the Renault Sport Challenge saw the French manufacturer land three wins in the Rallye Montagne Noire, with its cars in dominant form right from the start of the event.

In the R3/N4 class, the local crew formed by Benjamin Villaret and Sophie Entz (Clio Renaultsport R3) took an early advantage in SS1 before being relieved of the lead by Mickael Reydellet and Thomas Chauffray (Clio Renaultsport R3) in SS2 on Friday evening. Villaret and Entz’s fine start to the rally was soon undone when they went off on Saturday morning, with Michel Reboul and Charlene Denizou (Megane Renaultsport N4) also having to retire because of mechanical problems. In the meantime, Pascal and Caroline Berard (Clio Renaultsport R3) climbed up to third.

Reydellet fought hard throughout the day to maintain his lead, while Pascal Berard did everything he could to stay in the top three. Following an intense battle and the cancellation of the penultimate special for safety reasons, Reydellet secured the R3/N4 class win, coming in less than five seconds ahead of his nearest challenger, with Berard having to settle for fourth and Ludovic Marigo and Romain Vergnes (Clio Renaultsport R3) finishing an excellent fifth. Berard now shares the standings lead with Laurent Lacomy, with Reydellet just two points behind.

In the R2 class, William Pitot and Alexis Estival moved out front from the off, followed by Jordan Mottard/Leo Occhipinti and Georges Gonon/Valerie Gonon. The leader in the Renault Sport Challenge R2 standings, Gonon jumped into second on the next special, as Pitot pulled away from the field. Content to make a cautious start on Saturday morning, the leader then posted a string of fastest times to extend his cushion. By the time he crossed the finish line, he was nearly a minute clear of Georges Gonon, with Jordan Mottard taking third. Pitot’s first class win of the year gave him the lead in Challenge R2 standings, two points clear of Gonon.

The teams dominating the overall R1 standings made a strong start in the class, no one better than Aurelien Lafont and Aurelien Verdenet. The winners in Burgundy in the last Challenge round, they pulled out a 25-second lead on Friday evening. Behind them Antoine Margely/Lea Pustelnik, Theo Chalal/Sarah Mancini and Romain Auvert/Maxime Belivier battled it out for second and third, with Nicolas Renchet and Tom Fitzerald running them close and then falling back.

While Theo Chalal lost time in SS4, Dorian Delagne and Romain Garel enjoyed an excellent Saturday morning. They were running fourth when they had to retire with mechanical problems on SS8, however. Romain Auvert moved up to second on the back of some impressive times, without being able to exert any pressure on the untouchable Aurelien Lafont. Having a fine Saturday of his own, Antoine Margely closed up on second place and trailed by just two tenths of a second heading into the last special, though Romain Auvert held firm to go fastest in the last timed sector and cling on to the runners-up spot, just a second ahead of Margely.

Rallye Montagne Noire standings
R3/N4 class
1. Mickaël Reydellet – Thomas Chauffray 1:23:53.5
4. Pascal Bérard – Caroline Bérard 1:24:30.3
5. Ludovic Marigo – Romain Vergnes 1:25:39.9
10. Benoît Bessière – Gautier Bessière 1:31:24:2

R2 class
1. William Pitot – Alexis Estival 1:28:26:4
2. Georges Gonon – Valérie Gonon 1:29:23:6
3. Jordan Mottard – Léo Occhipinti 1:29:49:8

R1 class
1. Aurélien Lafont – Aurélien Verdenet 1:31:53:6
2. Romain Auvert – Maxime Bélivier 1:32:43:0
3. Antoine Margely – Léa Pustelnik 1:32:44:0
4. Théo Chalal – Sarah Mancini 1:33:02:2
5. Nicolas Renchet – Tom Fitzerald 1:34:15:0
6. Emilien Sanlaville – Arnaud Cubizolles 1:37:48:0

Renault Sport Challenge standings
R3/N4 class
1. Laurent Lacomy 69 points
2. Pascal Bérard 69 points
3. Mickaël Reydellet 67 points
4. Jérôme Chavanne 36 points
5. Boris Carminati 25 points
5. Anthony Cosson 25 points …

R2 class
1. William Pitot 88 points
2. Georges Gonon 86 points
3. Jordan Mottard 56 points
4. Marvin Sorin 37 points …

R1 class
1. Aurélien Lafont 90 points
2. Antoine Margely 83 points
3. Nicolas Renchet 71 points
4. Théo Chalal 67 points
5. Romain Auvert 63 points
6. Emilien Sanlaville 47 points …