The Clio Trophy France Asphalte headed to the Cévennes for the season finale of its seventh and final campaign with the fifth-generation Renault Clio Rally5, which has achieved sporting and commercial success, with numerous titles and over 750 units produced and sold.

Before the event got underway, Jérôme Janny, Louis Gass, Pascal Bérard and Thomas Van Outryve each won a set of tyres following a prize draw organised by Ceerta, the official Michelin Motorsport distributor in the French Rally Championship. Already a three-time winner this season, Paul Dachicourt entered this round in a strong position, with only Maxence Potard still able to challenge him for the title.

On roads that were new to both title contenders, Thomas Santiago struck first on Friday. The LCS Location driver set the fastest times on the La Cadière – Sumène, Le Rey – Mandagout and Montdardier – Le Vigan stages. He returned to the service park 13.0s ahead of Yohan Roumieux, whilst Loan Guibal, Romain Fostier and Tanguy Valette rounded off the top five.

However, the traditional Cévennes night stage changed the complexion of the race. Yohan Roumieux stepped up the pace and took the first two special stages of the loop before doing so again on the Montdardier–Le Vigan stage to take the lead. Meanwhile, Loan Guibal overtook Thomas Santiago to move into second. Behind this trio, Tanguy Valette moved ahead of Romain Fostier, while Paul Dachicourt climbed back to sixth.

On Saturday, conditions were wetter and more treacherous. Thomas Santiago lost time, while Loan Guibal won the day’s first three stages: Saint-André-de-Valborgne – Col de l’Espinasse, Col du Pas – Les Plantiers and Les Plantiers – Col de Bès. The local driver thus became the third leader of this final round, but Yohan Roumieux’s response came quickly.

Fastest on the Col de la Tribale – Sumène stage, Yohan Roumieux regained the lead before extending his advantage to 11.0s at the end of the Brissac super-special stage, won by Paul Dachicourt who did enough to secure the title by now. The competitors then tackled Les 5 Cols, a marathon timed section covering 53.45 kilometres. Following an accident involving a Rally2 car, the leading crews were awarded notional times, and the classification remained unchanged.

Despite Pascal Bérard’s best time in Brissac – Causse-de-la-Selle, Yohan Roumieux extended his lead before setting the pace in Saint-Bauzille – Ferrières-les-Verreries. He then paced himself through the final challenging sections in Pompignan – Claret before crossing the finish line after the super special stage in Montpellier, where he and co-driver Bastien Fontaine savoured their first victory in the Clio Trophy France Asphalte.

Behind the winners, Loan Guibal and Lohan Ranchard took their first podium finish and debut victory in the Juniors category. Paul and Adèle Dachicourt finished third, but the focus was elsewhere for the family duo, who had mathematically sealed their title on Saturday morning.

Tanguy Valette and Alexandre Tricou finished fourth on their debut, while Romain Fostier and Ophélie Abchiche finished fifth to secure the Gentlemen category title. Léo Véricel and Jade Gaston finished sixth ahead of Louis Gass and Alison Girard. Tom Le Jossec and Christophe Leroy finished eighth after winning the season’s last two special stages. The crews of Maxence Potard and Maxime Biegalke, and Pascal Bérard and Caroline Bérard, completed the top ten.

With three wins and two additional podium finishes across the five rounds of the 2026 season, Paul and Adèle Dachicourt added their names to the Clio Trophy France Asphalte list of champions, succeeding Anthony Fotia, Romain Di-Fante, Thomas Chauffray, Benjamin Stirling, Arthur Pelamourgues and Yoan Corberand. The Dachicourts also claimed the Jean Ragnotti Performer Trophy and the official drive awarded to the best Junior driver. Their runners-up, Maxence Potard and Maxime Biegalke, helped Groupe Bertrand succeed in the Renault Network Challenge. Romain Fostier and Ophélie Abchiche took the Gentlemen’s category, while Clémentine Benoît and Éric De Bolle won the Women’s classification.

After seven years of impressing fields combining quantity and quality to deliver hard-fought battles at this level of the pyramid, the Clio Trophy France Asphalte is set to begin a new chapter. As announced last Thursday, Renault is set to reveal the sixth-generation Clio in its Rally5 version. The 2027 calendars for France’s dedicated tarmac and gravel trophies will also be announced in the coming weeks.

Quotes

Yohan Roumieux: “This victory in the Cévennes is particularly rewarding, as it was the last rally with this generation of car. We knew we had a good chance at this atypical event. Ever since we started with Renault Clio in 2024, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed driving it and decided to enter the Clio Trophy France Asphalte in 2025. Since then, we’ve racked up a string of good results and are regularly in podium contention. This year, we missed Le Touquet, then stayed in the mix until a puncture in the Vosges, and finished on the podium at Mont-Blanc. I had to sit out the Cœur de France for a good reason, as I’d become a dad the week before. Our goal in the Cévennes was to climb as high as possible in the general classification, and we pushed hard from the opening to the penultimate special stage to achieve it and secure third place overall. We’re delighted to end the season this way, and our hard work paid off. Congratulations to the Dachicourts on their well-deserved title this year.”

Paul Dachicourt : “Winning the Clio Trophy France Asphalte after years of hard work and sacrifice is hugely satisfying. The weekend in the Cévennes was extremely tricky, as we tackled a demanding route and struggled to find our bearings. We finally got into a good rhythm, and the relief at the finish was immense. This title belongs to the whole family, too. My sister co-drives me, my father is part of the support team, and our loved ones support us throughout the season, including our little brother Émile, who unfortunately can’t make it to every rally. We’re lucky to have such a strong support. Adding our name to the list of champions in this feeder series is something we’re very proud of, especially as it has launched the careers of so many talented drivers. We’ll now give everything we have to do the best job possible in 2027.”

Clio Trophy France Asphalte – Critérium des Cévennes
1. Yohan Roumieux – Bastien Fontaine 2h22m18.4s
2. Loan Guibal – Lohan Ranchard (J) +18.9s
3. Paul Dachicourt – Adèle Dachicourt (J) +1m51.7s
4. Tanguy Valette – Alexandre Tricou (J) +2m04.8s
5. Romain Fostier – Ophélie Abchiche (G) +2m35.8s
6. Léo Véricel – Jade Gaston (J) +9m43.5s
7. Louis Gass – Alison Girard (J) +10m05.5s
8. Tom Le Jossec – Christophe Leroy (J) +10m20.8s
9. Maxence Potard – Maxime Biegalke (J) +12m25.8s
10. Pascal Bérard – Caroline Bérard (G) +12m53.5s
11. Jérôme Janny – Hélèna Pêcheur +13m42.4s
12. Damien Vincent – Frédéric Vincent (J) +13m43s
13. Thomas Van Outryve – Johanna Della-Pina (J) +15m30.8s
14. Jacques Bourrat – Jean Bourrat (G) +15m57.6s
15. Robin Duarte – Paul Bernie (J) +16m16.6s
16. Franck Giraud – Christophe Dubien (G) +18m00.9s
17. Maxime Chagot – Bertrand Chagot +18m15.6s
18. Laurent Lambert – Grégory Poitevin (G) +18m42.9s
19. Alexis Poso – Stéphane Maille (J) +26m11.6s
Ret. Amaury Pagès – Mattis Chalvidan (J)
Ret. Thomas Santiago – Sarah Pernet-Coudrier (J)