Ciamin easy leader of the Sainte-Baume Rallycircuit

After having perfectly mastered a morning loop made tricky by the presence of frost and a roadway covered with patches of humidity, Nicolas Ciamin hit the nail on the head during the afternoon this Saturday.

Confident at the wheel of his Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo run by the Oreca team, the Niçois once again won in the three contested times, the same as previously. “ We rode well, he smiled at the end of this ideal day. This morning, we had to be careful, because it sometimes looked like Monte Carlo! I especially didn't want to end the season with a mistake. Our spin yesterday in SS1 reminded us that we had to stay focused. During this 2^e loop, everything went well. We will now change profile with the stages on the circuit tomorrow. »

Behind the irremovable leader, the close duel between Mathieu Arzeno and Romain Dumas ended with the latter's clutch problems (in SS5). On his return to the service park, the double winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was pessimistic about his chances of making repairs. He actually gave up at the beginning of the afternoon.

With the withdrawal of Dumas, Arzeno found himself comfortably installed in 2^e place with more than 30 seconds ahead of Stéphane Ciaramitaro. “ We don't ride much during the year so it's not easy to compete against such talented boys., recognized the last winner of the event in 2020. Finishing on the podium would already be a great satisfaction. »

In 4th place, Richard Bourcier still had as much fun on these roads that he knows by heart after 30 participations! Instructor on the track karting of the circuit, Cyril Raymond demonstrated that it is not only in rallycross that he can drive fast. The Varois is 6^e, quelques places devant Stéphane Lefebvre. Découvrant le pilotage d’une Porsche, le Nordiste s’est régalé tout au long de la journée. Une pénalité de 2 minutes hier à la suite d’un incident mécanique l’avait fait plonger au classement, mais l’ancien champion du monde Junior est déjà revenu 8^e.

This Sunday, the competitors will leave the Sainte-Baume massif to compete in 4 special stages (39 km timed) on the Paul Ricard circuit.