FIA ERC

After wining the FIA ERC3 last year with Jean-Baptiste Franceschi, Clio Rally4 is challenging for the double on the European scene in the same category, now known as FIA ERC4.

The Clio Rally4 crews were quickly among the leaders at the opening round of the season at Rally Serras de Fafe - Felgueiras - Cabreira e Boticas (Portugal). Argentina’s Paulo Soria clocked the best times on SS3 and SS5 to move into the lead, but Anthony Fotia broke a wheel when he was trapped by the difficult conditions before being disqualified for "driving on a public road without four freely rotating wheels and tyres”.

In second and third place after day one, Andrea Mabellini & Virginia Lenzi and Paulo Soria & Marcelo Der Ohannesian fought hard for the runner-up position on Sunday in a duel reminiscent of their battle for the Clio Trophy by Toksport WRT title. The Italian duo snatched second place from their teammates on the last timed sector, ensuring a double podium result for Renault.

Entered with Clio Rally5, João Colaço and José Patrício won the first leg counting for round one of the Portuguese Rally Championship and ended up sixth in the two-wheel-drive category on the national scene.

The next round of the FIA ERC, the Azores Rally will take place in just ten days on 25-27 March.

NGK UAE Procar Championship

The Clio Cups competing in the NGK UAE Procar Championship wrapped up their season at the Dubai Autodrome (United Arab Emirates).

Several drivers were still in title contention heading into the double-points season finale, but Ahmed Al Melaihi and Eduardo Miranda quickly eliminated their rivals from the race for the title. Defeated by Rahil Taneja in qualifying, the two men exacted their revenge, with the Emirati winning the first heat before they swapped positions in the second heat. Kevin Day and Will Morrison completed the podiums.

At the end of this maiden campaign, which saw six different drivers win in the Middle East, Ahmed Al Melaihi was crowned on home soil with a five-point lead over Eduardo Miranda. Kevin Day finished third in the general classification, ahead of Will Morrison, Rahil Taneja and Jerzy Spinkiewicz, who won three times in four appearances in preparation for his second season in Clio Cup Europe.

Elsewhere…

A class winner on his Clio Rally4 debut, Philippe Rageau did it again on the Rallye de la Vienne. The long-time competitor in the Renault trophies also finished second in the front-wheel-drive category and eighth overall in this round of the French Rally Cup with Alexandra Rageau. Several Clio Rally5s were also in action, with Jérémy Sarhy & Loïc André taking top honours in their category ahead of Pascal Demons & Yoann Bertoneche and Martin Massé & Marc Haddad, making it an all Renault podium.

Three Clio Rally5s were also at the start of the first International Drenthe Rally, which took place around the TT Assen circuit as part of the Dutch Rally Championship. Ceriel Klein Kromhof & Marcel Hanstede won all fourteen stages in RC5, ahead of the similar cars of Esmee Den Hartigh & Joël Ebbers and Anja van Loon & Lisette Bakker.

Competing against more powerful cars or higher categories, Nikolai Bruyneel & Jasper Maelfait as well as Valentin Brahy & Jérôme Marchand also ran strong in Belgium, finishing fifth and seventh respectively in the 4/13 category on the Hannut Rally. In Italy, Massimo Dossena and Davide Alberto Dossena led their Clio Rally5 to victory at the Motors Rally Show Pavia with a scant 6.5-second lead over the similar model entrusted to Luciano Calini & Alessandro Rappoldi.

Coming up

The Clio Trophy France Asphalte kicks off this week at the Rallye Le Touquet - Pas-de-Calais (18-19 March). Thirty-nine crews will be on the start line for the season-opener. The competitors will battle to take over from Romain Di-Fante, who will begin his official Clio Rally4 programme on the same rally. Frenchman Ludovic Godard and Briton Sara Williams will also be in a Clio Rally4. More information will be available soon on cliorally.com.