Nicolas Ciamin wins the Sainte-Baume Rallycircuit

This weekend there was something for almost everyone. Combining classic special stages and sections on the tracks and around the Paul Ricard circuit, this race offered an original concept.

Apart from a quickly forgotten spin (SS1), Nicolas Ciamin was not surprised by roads covered in ice. Constantly widening the gap, he was able to compete in the final stage without taking any risks to finish 1'18"6 ahead of his closest pursuer, Mathieu Arzeno. By winning with his Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo from the local team Oreca, the young 23-year-old driver continued a series during which he won Antibes, Haut-Pays Niçois and Var respectively. This succession of victories confirms the talent of Ciamin who is looking for solutions to progress in the World Cup next year and who is also looking at the possibilities in the French championship.

If there wasn't really a fight for first place, the runners-up were more closely contested. A tight explanation first opposed Mathieu Arzeno and Romain Dumas until the withdrawal of the latter's Porsche due to a clutch problem. On theAlpine A110 that he discovered, the winner of the 2017 Final which took place at Sainte-Baume blamed himself for two mistakes which did not prevent him from finishing at 2^e rank.

On the 3^e walks, Stéphane Ciaramitaro, who won last year, wins a new podium in an event that he appreciates. Among the performances to remember, there is the 4^e place of Antoine Leclerc who usually plays on the circuit and who had never competed in a rally. He managed to finish less than 3 minutes behind the winner. A little more experienced in this discipline, Cyril Raymond who is above all a specialist in rallycross ranked 6^e just over 3'30 behind Nicolas Ciamin. For his part, Tom Pieri surprised by remaining in the Top 10 at the wheel of his tiny 208 R2.