Touquet Rally – SS9: Hugo Margaillan takes the stage win, Yoann Bonato still leads

Saturday starts off strong at Rally Le Touquet – Pas-de-Calais! Hugo Margaillan and Mathieu Coppa, on their Hyundai The i20s of the CHL Sport Auto team set the fastest time on this ninth special stage in 6:58.9, just 2,1 seconds ahead of Yoann Bonato – Benjamin Boulloud, who share second place with Raphaël Astier – Denis Giraudet, both credited with the same time of 7:01.0 at the wheel of their Lancia Ypsilon HF and their Porsche 992 GT+.
Bonato still in the lead, but Margaillan is closing in. The stage winner offered a nuanced analysis. "It went well, I have a good feeling with the car. I was a little hesitant in the fast sections." "This suggests that there is still room for improvement in the future."

In the general classification, Yoann Bonato – Benjamin Boulloud remain firmly in the lead with a total of 58:05.7, but their lead cushion is shrinking slightly. "It's a bit easier than yesterday. It's not easy with the changing grip levels, it's still quite damp. Our tire choice allows us to get through everywhere, we'll see how it goes in the long run." analyzes the title holder.

Hugo Margaillan and Mathieu Coppa, thanks to their fastest time today, are now 28,5 seconds behind the leader. Raphaël Astier and Denis Giraudet complete the podium, 53,1 seconds back, ahead of Eric Brunson and Cédric Mondon (Citroën C3 Rally2, +1:30.5), the record holder for victories at Le Touquet, confirming his impressive comeback from the previous day. Quentin Gilbert and Christopher Guieu (Škoda Fabia, +1:32.5) round out the top five.

Julien Casale – Pierre Delorme (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) are in sixth place, 1:50.9 behind, ahead of Pierre Ragues – Julien Pesenti (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +2:07.4). Benjamin and Florence Stirling (Citroën C3 Rally2) are in eighth, closely followed by Thomas Anacleto – Marie Stirling (Porsche 992 GT+, +2:34.9), who move up a place at the expense of the Belgians Maxime Potty – Renaud Herman (Citroën C3 Rally2), now tenth, 2:40.9 behind.

@autohebdo.magThe second stage begins in Le Touquet! We take this opportunity to meet François Gayraud, head of the Méca Fontanilles Compétition team, which is hosting Julien Casale 🤝🏻 (Commercial collaboration with Michelin Motorsport)♬ original sound – AUTOhebdo

Also noteworthy is the strong performance of Côme Ledogar and Meryl Giraldo in their Porsche 911, who set the 9th fastest time on SS9 and are just outside the top 10 overall. The day promises to be another closely contested one with the long stages ahead, particularly the dreaded Hucqueliers stage, nearly 30 kilometers long, which will be the true deciding factor in this rally.

ALSO READ > Schedules, stakes, participants: The program for the 2026 Le Touquet – Pas-de-Calais Rally

CFR – Le Touquet Rally 
The classification of SS9

The general classification after SS9