Lessay Rallycross – Manche: Derek Tohill avoids disaster

The French Championship and Cup Rallycross The 2026 season kicked off last weekend at the Lessay circuit in Normandy, where rain made an appearance and reshuffled the deck. Divided into six distinct categories, 120 competitors made the trip to launch the hostilities of a season that promises to be, as every year, extremely competitive. This first meeting of the year was no exception. Starting from Pole Position in the Supercar final, Jean-Baptiste Dubourg (Peugeot The Peugeot 208 WRX, a high-profile guest driver for the weekend, was caught out on the first corner and thus lost all the advantage of the pace he had shown in the previous rounds. Under these conditions, the race was fiercely contested, and it was ultimately Irishman Derek Tohill (Peugeot 208 WRX) who emerged victorious, his first career win on French soil. Managing to fend off attacks from reigning champion Davy Jeanney (Škoda Fabia WRX), he won a hard-fought battle. Anthony Paillardon (Ford Fiesta WRX) finished third, completing the podium for this opening round of the season.

Like Derek Tohill, Steven Drouyer opens his personal account at the Lessay Rallycross – Manche

Derek Tohill wasn't the only one to secure his first career victory in the Manche region. In Division 4, Steven Drouyer did the same at the wheel of his Renault Clio III F2000 and ultimately finished ahead of Ivan Bedouet (Peugeot 207 F2000), who came in second, and Noë Foulfoin (Renault Clio III F2000), who finished third in the category. In Super 1600, there were also some great battles, with Julien Meunier (Audi A1 S1600) emerging victorious over Tony Bardeau (Renault Twingo S1600) and David Moulin (Audi A1 S1600). In the French Division 3 Cup, Nicolas Beauclé (Mercedes Benz Class A) perfectly introduced its new car by winning ahead of a surprising Etienne Moustache (Ford Fiesta), with the podium completed by Mathieu Fretin (Toyota Yaris). For several seasons now, French Rallycross has also given pride of place to female drivers, who have their own competition, the FFSA Women's French Cup, where competitors race in Renault Twingo R1s. In this context, Chloé Danveau emerged victorious despite some mechanical issues encountered during the weekend, ahead of Maeva Caradeux and Laura Solaire.

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New features this season in the French Rallycross Championship

Among the new features of the 2026 season was the introduction of Division 5 by Yacco, replacing the FFSA French Junior Championship. In this inaugural round, where all competitors drove Renault Clio Vs, Thomas Quincé emerged victorious ahead of Gautier Sarhy and Ronan Deslandes. Lessay also marked the launch of the new Supercar Challenge category. In recent years, the number of Supercars entered in the French Rallycross Championship has inevitably declined due to soaring costs. To revitalize the category and allow as many Supercar owners as possible to participate in a competitive event, despite the potential gap in skill level compared to top-tier teams, this first round featured seven competitors entered in both the Supercar and Supercar Challenge categories. Emmanuel Moinel (Peugeot 208 WRX) won this inaugural event ahead of the renowned Knapick (Citroën DS3 WRX) and his son-in-law Stéphane De Ganay (Citroën DS3 WRX). The next round of the season will take place on May 16th and 17th in Faleyras (Gironde).