Laboulle and Peu shoot first…

French Division 1 Championship

Marc Laboulle (Citroën Xsara « WRC ) was dominant all weekend. He began to impose his tempo from practice, then in the first two qualifying heats. So much so that on Sunday lunchtime, he was guaranteed to be in pole position for the A final.

Twice second in the first two rounds, David Meslier (Renault Clio II RS “WRC”), the 2008 French champion, suffered the blow. He managed to maintain a qualification on the front row thanks to his best time in the third round. At the start of the A final, Marc Laboulle was the quickest to flash the start. He had the advantage of having the rope in the first turn. At the start, Meslier put up resistance but inexorably, Laboulle took a few meters ahead in each turn. Meslier tried a move, moving into the wild card round, four seconds slower in the fifth round. No effort was wasted, Laboulle had a sufficient lead when he completed this slow lap. He logically retained the lead when the checkered flag passed.

Disaster scenario for David Meslier, second, who hit two pins in the last finishing turn! This year the sanction is heavy: penalty of ten seconds. As a result, David Meslier falls to sixth place. Thus, Jérôme Grosset Janin (Citroën C4 “WRC”) for his return to rallycross finished second and Jean-Michel Limou (Citroën Xsara “WRC”), third. But shortly after arrival, after inspection, Jérôme Grosset Janin was excluded from the meeting for technical non-compliance. Jean-Michel Limou, however, remains third.

French Division 1A Championship

This season the French Motor Sport Federation created Division 1A. This category is open to Super 1600 or Super 1600 spirit cars. Many drivers come from D4 (David Deslandes, Samuel Peu, etc.), others from the former D2 (Eric Guillemette, Davy Jeanney, Jessica Tarrière, etc.) . New to D1A, the winner of the 2008 Logan Cup, Roman Ferrero, has a Dacia Logan D1A on loan from AFOR.

Three qualifying rounds, three different winners! The tone is set? First round for Samuel Peu (Citroën Saxo kit car), the second for Roman Ferrero (Dacia Logan D1A), third for Davy Jeanney (Peugeot 206 Super 1600). In the end, it was Samuel Peu who snatched pole position. To his left in the A final, Eric Guillemette. Just behind in the second row, Roman Ferrero and Davy Jeanney.

At the top start Samuel Peu took the lead. Eric Guillemette followed suit. Just behind, Roman Ferrero and David Deslandes. What about Davy Jeanney? Author of the second false start, he was immediately classified sixth. In front, Peu increased his lead. Guillemette resisted, but lost ground. He remained under pressure from Ferrero, impressing for the first laps in the Dacia Logan D1A. The passage into the joker round did not change the ranking. Samuel Peu won this first race followed by Eric Guillemette and Roman Ferrero.

For hitting a pin, Eric Guillemette received a ten-second penalty, relegating him to fifth place. Thus Roman Ferrero goes second and David Deslandes, well back after a disastrous start to the weekend, third!