"A real pleasure to drive a car like this": Raphaël Astier already won over by the Porsche 992 GT+

The least one can say is that Raphaël Astier's debut with his new Porsche The 992 GT+ cars certainly didn't lack interest. The Ardèche-based driver, a logical winner of the French 2-Wheel Drive Rally Championship round, particularly distinguished himself by finishing third alongside his co-driver Denis Giraudet, but also, and above all, by setting a string of fastest times on Friday morning, on dry roads, and leading the overall standings after the first loop. Even better, as rain arrived in the evening, the former FIA R-GT World Cup winner sometimes managed to keep pace with Yoann Bonato in his Lancia, navigating the completely soaked stages of Le Touquet with the precision of a bull in a china shop. The overall result is, therefore, quite logically, very satisfying: We experienced all kinds of conditions last weekend, we managed to mix it all together and create something nice. " he told us after the rally.

Raphaël Astier, CHL Sport Auto and Lionel Hansen in close collaboration

To perfect the operation of this new project, Raphaël Astier and his team, CHL Sport Auto, can count on the technical support of the Belgian team led by Lionel Hansen, one of the men behind the arrival of the Porsche 992 GT+ in rallying. In fact, all the stakeholders in this 2026 program have worked in close collaboration: They're used to running the car in conditions similar to those seen at Le Touquet in Belgium. So, naturally, I asked them to set up a similar setup. But things will change for the next rounds, and that's where the real fine-tuning will begin. " he added, however. Indeed, in 2025, Cédric Cherain participated in the full season of the Belgian Rally Championship in a 992 GT+ and greatly contributed to the overall performance of the car on very fast stages often degraded by the weather conditions.

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Is Raphaël Astier capable of winning everywhere in a Porsche?

At Le Touquet, opinions were inevitably divided regarding the performance of Raphaël Astier, as well as that of the other Porsche drivers. On one hand, some applauded the sight of two Porsches leading the event after four stages. But another perspective, based on the issue of sporting fairness, also began to emerge. Nevertheless, and despite the performances seen at Le Touquet, can Raphaël Astier truly compete for victories in all the upcoming rounds of the French Rally Championship? In the upcoming races, we will have to completely reconfigure the car from the outset each time if we want to maintain confidence in it, and therefore, our attacking spirit. " he explained. Indeed, it's difficult to imagine the Porsche 992 GT+ being able to compete on equal terms with the Rally2 cars in rallies like the Critérium des Cévennes or the Vosges Grand Est, even though its progress is undeniable. Time will tell, but in any case, the man is already won over: It's a real pleasure to drive a car like that ».