European Rally Championship

Round seven of the FIA ERC calendar saw Clio Rally4 take two podium finishes with Andrea Mabellini. With two wins in FIA ERC4 and FIA ERC4 Junior so far this year, the Italian Toksport WRT driver defied the daunting conditions of Barum Czech Rally Zlín (Czech Republic) to finish runner-up in both categories and spray the champagne for the fourth time this season. Meanwhile, Andorra’s Alex Español finished fifth with the same model. Andrea Mabellini remains in the running for the FIA ERC4 title ahead of the final round at RallyRACC Catalunya (20-22 October).

FIA NACAM Rally Championship

FIA NACAM4 and FIA NACAM4 Junior leader Gustavo Urióstegui took a huge step towards both titles after his win in both categories at Rally Sierra Juárez. The Mexican excelled with Clio Rally5, finishing fourth in NACAM, where he consolidated his third place overall, and eighth in the Mexican Rally Championship. The victory also sees him retake the lead in the Clio Rally5 cup from Ecuador’s Diego Serrano ahead of the season-finale at Rally Montañas (25-26 November).

CODASUR Rally Championship

Winner of two of the first three rounds in FIA CODASUR4, Luigi Contin was well on his way to another after his successes in Paraguay and Brazil. The Uruguayan dominated the first ten special stages on the roads of the Rally de Santa Cruz (Bolivia) to build up a lead of almost twelve minutes. The Gianni Motorsport driver was well inside the top ten overall when he retired three stages from the end of the rally. Luigi Contin still the championship before heading to Peru for the penultimate round of the season, the Rally de Huancayo (23-25 September).

French Rally Championship

2021 FIA ERC3 and FIA ERC3 Junior champion with Clio Rally4, Jean-Baptiste Franceschi won the 2WD and RC4 categories on the Rallye Terre de Lozère Sud de France. The Frenchman was consistent with eight top-five finishes in ten stages and seized the lead in the last timed sector to win by 35.5 seconds and finish sixth overall. Clio Trophy France Terre title holder Quentin Ribaud was also battling for victory before a mechanical issue, but he bounced back with three of the four fastest times on Sunday to once again highlight the potential of the car developed by the Dieppe and Viry-Châtillon competition departments.

Italian Junior Rally Championship

Mattia Zanin scored his first win of the year in the all-Clio Rally5 field at the penultimate round of the CIAR Junior season, the 45th Rally 1000 Miglia. Consistent during a weekend carefully crafted on the Italian tarmac, Mattia Zanin took advantage of a puncture by Edoardo De Antoni to reduce the gap before taking the lead and winning ahead of Davide Nicelli, Edoardo De Antoni and Alessandro Casella. The general classification is getting tighter and tighter as Alessandro Casella, Davide Nicelli, Mattia Zanin and Edoardo De Antoni are covered by 16 points ahead of the season-finale, the 40th Rally Due Valli (6-8 October).

Clio Trophy by Toksport WRT

Paulo Soria succeeds Andrea Mabellini in the Clio Trophy by Toksport WRT. Winner of the first four rounds of the season, the Argentinian driver immediately took the lead on Barum Czech Rally Zlín before stopping to change a wheel on SS3. Gradually moving up the order while taking advantage of the mistakes of his rivals Sergio Fuentes and Giorgio Cogni, Paulo Soria finished third and secured a title that will offer him a three-round FIA ERC programme with Clio Rally4 in 2023. Meanwhile, Frenchman Ghjuvanni Rossi scored his maiden win in the only mixed surface Clio Rally5 trophy.

Clio Trophy France Terre

Mattéo Chatillon won his first Clio Trophy France Terre at the Rallye Terre de Lozère Sud de France with a brilliant attack on the final stage. Thanks to this victory, the fight for the title between Florian Bouchonneau and Julien Pontal will continue at the Cardabelles Rallye Terre (7-9 October). Both will also vie for the position of best Junior and an official Clio Rally4 programme in 2023. Everything is also up for grabs in the other classifications!

Clio Trophy Ecuador

Round three of the Clio Trophy Ecuador saw Alejandro Martínez win the Rally Imbabura. With the win, ahead of Marcelo Toledo and John Gonzalez, they confirm their recent strong form. They now lead the general classification, eight points ahead of Juan Carlos Paredes, who finished fourth, and nine ahead of Abraham Feijoo. The race for the title is still wide-open, with the top four drivers in just 15 points ahead of the next round, the Loja Rally (16-17 September).

And elsewhere…

In the French Rally Cup, Clio Rally4 and Clio Rally5 were both victorious on the Rallye du Sel with Maxime Goetz in Rally4 and Jérôme Bonnefoy in Rally5. Clio Rally5 also won the Chartreuse Rally with Jérémy Jamet and Guillaume Roget in the Rallye du Pays Basque.

Abroad, Gonçalo Henriques put in a fine performance with Clio Rally5, finishing fourth in the Rali Município de Mesão Frio (Portugal). The Portuguese driver won in all the classes that he was entered in, while his compatriot Joaquim Bernardes claimed a podium result, with third in P2-4.

In Belgium, Dutchman Jeroen Klein Kromhof and Clio Rally4 finished on the podium in the two-wheel-drive category on the Short Rally van Kasterlee. Lastly, the three protégés of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Challenge Program continued their apprenticeship in European rallies behind the wheel of a Clio Rally4. Nao Otake was, this time, the best performer at the SM Ralli Mikkeli (Finland), finishing third in the SM4 class.

Coming up

This week all three Clio racing versions will be in action. On the rally front, Clio Trophy Belgium will be back in action on the Omloop van Vlaanderen (2-3 September), where Benoît Verlinde will try to extend his lead before the final two rounds. Meanwhile, the Clio RXs in the French Junior FFSA Rallycross Championship will return at Lohéac (3-4 September) with Tom Le Jossec trying to take another step towards the title despite the fightback expected from his challengers led by Luc Derrien and Mathieu Frétin. Lastly, more than thirty Clio Cups will gather at Hockenheim (2-4 September) for round ten of the season where the several title races in Clio Cup Europe, Clio Cup Eastern Europe and Clio Cup France could provide a few new twists and turns!