Touquet Rally – SS6: Bonato takes the lead in the rain, Lefebvre retires

As predicted, the rain did indeed come to reshuffle the cards in this sixth special stage of the Rally Le Touquet – Pas-de-Calais. On the 12,59-kilometer Verchocq – Wicquinghem stage, conditions deteriorated sharply, transforming terrain that had previously favored two-wheel drive into a veritable trap for the entire field. And the Porsche, so dominant this morning, this time were subjected to the rule of the Rally2.

Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud made the most of these difficult conditions, setting the fastest time on the special stage in their Lancia Ypsilon HF and simultaneously taking first place overall, 5,5 seconds ahead of Raphaël Astier and Denis Giraudet (Porsche 992 GT+). The feat is all the more remarkable given that the reigning French Champions were not spared: "I had a really intense heat. I had to lean against a bank in 5th gear. I really slowed down after that," Bonato explained at the finish. Hugo Margaillan and Mathieu Coppa (Hyundai i20N Rally2) complete the provisional podium, 6,8 seconds behind.

Lefebvre in the ditch

The major news from this SS6 is undoubtedly the off-road excursion of Stéphane Lefebvre and Andy Malfoy, who until then were third overall and leaders of the Rally2 class on their Toyota GR Yaris. Their retirement, which initial reports suggest was not serious, deprives the rally of one of its main contenders and shakes up the overall standings. The area where they went off the road clearly left its mark: "It's a matter of survival for 2 km, where Stéphane went off the road. There are water runoffs and poor visibility," said Éric Brunson. Pierre Ragues summed up the general feeling: "We're disappointed for Stéphane; it was a real trap."

Margaillan, who had set the fastest time on the special stage, also described a formidable course: "It was incredibly tricky. I calmed down after seeing Stéphane in the ditch. There are water runoffs, it's really not easy." Côme Ledogar and Méryl Giraldo, also affected by problems on the special stage – one going off the road from which they managed to recover – are seeing their rally become seriously complicated.

Behind the new podium of Bonato – Astier – Margaillan, Quentin Gilbert and Christopher Guieu (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) moved up to fourth position, while Thomas Anacleto and Marie Stirling, who drove a cautious stage in tricky conditions with a lot of fog according to the co-driver, are in fifth place. Julien Casale and Pierre Delorme, also affected by problems on the stage, nevertheless held onto sixth place. Éric Brunson – Cédric Mondon (Citroën C3), Pierre Ragues – Julien Pesenti (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2), Lucas Darmezin – Charlyne Quartini (Hyundai i20N Rally2) and Benjamin Stirling – Florence Stirling (Citroën C3) completed the top 10.

Astier, relegated but still in contention, perfectly summed up the situation: "There was a lot of water in narrow sections. It's a different rally now." The last three stages of the day, run at night, look set to be decisive.

CFR – Le Touquet Rally 
The classification of SS6

The general classification after SS6