Yoann Bonato, second in the Rhône-Charbonnières race: "It was fun"

Le Rally The Rhône-Charbonnières Rally, the second round of the French Rally Championship held this weekend, lived up to all expectations. With the outcome decided in the final moments, specifically during the penultimate stage and the second pass through Meaux-la-Montagne, where Raphaël Astier and Denis Giraudet regained the lead in the provisional overall standings, the suspense was palpable right up to the final stop point at Claveisolles. Before the start of the rally, Yoann Bonato had told us he thought the battle would be one-sided, either favoring the Rally2 cars or Raphaël Astier: it's clear that he, like many observers, was slightly mistaken. "Honestly, we couldn't believe how close it was until noon.", he admitted this Saturday, April 18, at the arrival of the rally. "Certainly, they pulled away on the last lap, but we were still evenly matched up until then.".

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A rally experienced differently by both sides

Indeed, the differences between his Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale and the Porsche The 992 GT+ winners of the weekend are obvious and could have suggested a different outcome. “Last year, at the end of the special stages, Eric Camilli and I would often talk about how we had just tackled certain sections. This year, when we were going flat out in some places, he had to brake and vice versa. As a result, we didn't experience the same rally, but we were neck and neck and it was fun to witness.”, the six-time French Champion explained before stepping onto the podium. It was also an opportunity for him to pay tribute to his opponent: “I think if you put him in the Rally2 and me in his Porsche, it wouldn’t work out like that. Raphaël knows how to drive it very well, and I’m not sure there are any other drivers besides him capable of using it like that: what they did this weekend was impressive, now it’s up to us to push hard for the next rounds.”, he admitted.

Yoann Bonato praises the work of Raphaël Astier and Denis Giraudet

On terrain theoretically favorable to 2-wheel drive cars, only Raphaël Astier and Denis Giraudet were ultimately able to play leading roles among the armada of Porsches. “First of all, for it to work, I think you need a driver of Raphaël’s caliber. When you find him and put him in this kind of car, it’s formidable. But it seems to me to be a difficult car to drive: it’s still rear-wheel drive, it’s a monster of power, you need courage and expertise to handle it, it’s not for everyone.”"That's all," added Yoann Bonato. As a side note, the victory of the CHL Sport Auto duo is Denis Giraudet's first win in the CFR since his victory alongside the Isère-born driver at the 2015 Critérium des Cévennes. Peugeot 208 T16. This was Bonato's first victory in the French Rally Championship: "Denis is available to any driver who wants to win here.", Yoann Bonato indicated with his legendary touch of humor.

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