Following appearances at the Rallye Mont Blanc Morzine, the East Belgian Rallye and the Rally Due Valli, the Renault Clio R3T is set to continue its European launch tour. Designed and prepared by Renault Sport Technologies, the car is making Switzerland and the Rallye International du Valais its next port of all. Featuring on the European Rally Championship calendar, this spectacular event attracts a high-quality field.

In negotiating a route that cuts its way through the foothills of the Alps and the Rhone Valley, around Martigny and Sion, the Clio R3T will have the perfect stage for displaying its attributes. The man charged with the job of getting the best out of the latest addition to Renault Sport Technologies’ motorsport/customer range is Laurent Reuche, who will be joined by co-driver Jean Deriaz, while Michaël Burri will be flying the flag for Renault Sport Suisse.

Victorious in the Rallye International du Valais in 2011 and 2012, and the Swiss rally champion in the first of those years, Laurent Reuche drove a Renault car in Le Valais 12 months ago. A sponsor of the Swiss Junior Rally Championship, which is contested in the Twingo R.S. R1, he took part in the development of the Clio R3T and knows the car well.

“It’s a lot of fun to drive,” said Laurent Reuche after test-driving the car. “It delivers a lot of torque and it’s easy to handle. Renault Sport have done really well in coming up with different mapping options, which do a great job of getting power to the ground. This car is the future of R3.”

“Laurent Reuche was an obvious choice for us,” said Renault Sport Technologies Team Manager Sylvain Alanore. “He’s won this rally before, he’s very experienced and he’s got close ties with Renault. It’s very important for Renault Sport to be taking part in a European Championship round because it gives us the chance to present our product to drivers. We’ll also be aiming to introduce them to the Clio R3T European Trophy, which will be stepping out in 2015.”

“The race route should also let us show what the Clio R3T is capable of,” added Sylvain Alanore. “It’s a pretty unique route that’s going to bring the suspension technology to the fore. The terrain is very changeable and it’s slippery in places. The competition will be stiff too, and that’s going to show us how the Clio R3T is performing.”

The Rallye International du Valais starts on Thursday at 15.00. The opening day features three specials covering a distance of 32 kilometres, while Friday’s stages will see 92 kilometres of timed sections, with two loops of four specials. Saturday is the longest day of the three, with drivers having to cover more than 135 kilometres in two more loops of four specials, which should test man and machine to the limit. The podium ceremony will take place in Martigny at 17.30.