Within the impressive Clio Trophy France Asphalte service park, tension is about to rise a notch during a rally where the slightest misstep could have serious consequences.

Second in Rallye Rhône Charbonnières, then winner at the Rallye Rouergue Rodez Aveyron Occitanie and Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine, Julien Deslauriers Sablonnière returns to the roads where he scored his maiden Clio Trophy France Asphalte podium finish, aiming to close in on the title. To achieve this, the Autocantal Compétition driver will target a third consecutive victory, a feat last accomplished by Thomas Chauffray in 2022.

After a difficult return at Morzine, Yoan Corberand will try to reduce his deficit. After going off the road in the opening special stage, the David Auto Compétition driver limited the damage by scoring valuable Performer Jean Ragnotti points. The challenge will be twofold for the man who came within half a second of victory in Vendôme in 2023, as his team also trails the series’ leader squad. And two years ago, Corberand beat Deslauriers Sablonnière by just 5.6s...

Third in the standings, Tom Vauclare leads the way in the Junior category, in which he won for the first time in the Alps. He wants to repeat his success on this rally, where he did well during the last Clio Trophy France Asphalte visit, but he will have to watch out for Valentin Ascenzi and Melvin Rabilloud, who have also already won this season in the U30 class.

Several contenders will give it their all to stay in the running for the official programme for the best Junior. Longtime leader at Morzine, Lucas Zielinski hopes to finally convert his speed into a strong result, as does Jean-Claude Pietri, who is determined to get back on the road to success. Still in the mix tranks to their speed and consistency, Paul Dachicourt and Alex Florenson will seek to affirm their status as front-runners.

Yohan Codaccioni, Amaury Facchinetti, Louis Gass, Maxence Girard and David Panteix are among those capable of springing a surprise, just like the more experienced Yohan Roumieux, Jérôme Janny and Sylvain Lenne. At the same time, many eyes will be watching how Christophe Truchet does. After three gravel appearances, the Drôme native will make his second tarmac start of the year and become the first to meet the eligibility requirements for the Clio Full Challenge, a new competition where versatility is key.

Charlotte Olea, leader in the women’s category, will attempt to return to the top ten overall, while facing challenges from Emma Chalvin and Belgium’s Clémentine Benoit, who will compete in France for the first time after winning the Lady Cup with Clio Rally5 at Rallye de Wallonie. Meanwhile, Pascal Bérard will look to continue his flawless run to move closer to a second consecutive Gentlemen’s title. Franck Giraud, Jacques Bourrat, Laurent Lambert, Raphaël Monnier and Philippe Janvier will try to prevent him from doing so. Runner-up in this class at Vendôme in 2023, Willy Mathey returns with lofty ambitions, while Christophe Lucas completes the class for his Clio Trophy France Asphalte debut.

Several familiar Clio Trophy France Asphalte faces also return for what promises to be an exciting round throughout the field. Former trophy top ten finishers at Coeur de France, Calvin Lucas and Maxime Delhommeau could shake up the hierarchy, as could Marius Bureau, who has two class podiums to his name in the event. French Cup standouts Thomas Bordagaray, Guillaume Hanique and Alexandre Roux are also entered to play the spoilers.

The Rallye Cœur de France will consist of 13 special stages totalling 191.45 timed kilometres over a total distance of 484.42 km. On Saturday, two identical loops of three timed sectors await the competitors before a super special stage in the heart of Vendôme. There will be three more challenges on Sunday to be run twice. The last ten special stages will offer up to five Performer Jean Ragnotti points. In addition to the Clio Trophy France Asphalte, one Clio Rally3s, fourClio Rally4s, and five other Clio Rally5s will also be in action.

Entry list
#38 Julien Deslauriers Sablonnière – Amandine Brunel
#39 Yoan Corberand – Pauline Compozieux
#40 Tom Vauclare – Frédéric Vauclare (J)
#41 Paul Dachicourt – Adèle Dachicourt (J)
#42 Valentin Ascenzi – Yannis Gosselin (J)
#43 Alex Florenson – Charline Dichamp (J)
#44 Jean-Claude Pietri – Jean-François Muselli (J)
#45 Lucas Zielinski – Ewen Leenhardt (J)
#46 Melvin Rabilloud – Enzo Mahinc (J)
#47 Yohan Roumieux – Bastien Fontaine
#48 Yohan Codaccioni – Hugo Olivier (J)
#49 Amaury Facchinetti – Emma Bonnemort (J)
#50 Maxime Delhommeau – Matteo Richard
#51 Pascal Bérard – Caroline Bérard (G)
#52 Louis Gass – Alison Girard (J)
#53 Charlotte Olea – Cécile Pages (J, F)
#54 Jérôme Janny – Helena Pecheur
#55 Thomas Bordagaray – Brice Ricou
#56 Franck Giraud – Christophe Dubien (G)
#57 Calvin Lucas – Julie Plat (J)
#58 Christophe Truchet – Barbara Truchet
#59 Marius Bureau – Romain Depeux (J)
#60 Jacques Bourrat – Jean Bourrat (G)
#61 Sylvain Lenne – Nathan Chalendar
#62 Guillaume Hanique – Philippe Vandevelde
#63 Maxence Girard – Maxime Cotte-Colisson (J)
#64 Laurent Lambert – Yannick Le Moing (G)
#65 Emma Chalvin – Charline Quartini (J, F)
#66 Raphaël Monnier – Jean-François Hugon (G)
#67 Willy Mathey – Nelly Guille (G)
#68 Clémentine Benoit – Éric De Bolle (J,F)
#69 David Panteix – Lou Cardot (J)
#70 Philippe Janvier – Julie Derory (G)
#71 Alexandre Roux – Séverine Sarrazin
#72 Christophe Lucas – Yohann Marilleau (G)