Headliners for Peugeot at the Rallye du Var

Headliners…

Final event of the French Rally Championship, the Rally du Var is often distinguished by an exceptional field and this is again the case this year with many drivers from the Promotion Formula Peugeot Sport. Winner of the 208 Rally Cup in 2013, Kévin Abbring is at the start, as is Jérémi Ancian (winner of the Volant 207 in 2012), Cyril Audirac (winner of the Volant 207 in 2009) who is driving a 208T16 on this occasion, and even Stéphane Lefebvre (Junior winner of the Volant 207 in 2012 and the 208 Rally Cup in 2013). Finally, we also find on the entry list Gilles Panizzi (208T16 – Onyx Racing by Enjolras) and François Delecour, spearheads of the Peugeot Sport team in WRC in the 2000s ! The 208T16 is also well represented with six examples entered (Gilles Panizzi, Eric Mauffrey, Cyril Audirac, Dominique Rebout, Quentin Giordano, Florian Bernardi)!

A fourth year synonymous with success!

In 2016, 49 drivers competed in the seven events that made up the 208 Rally Cup calendar. Among them, there are 24 competitors entered in the Junior category (reserved for drivers under 23), or half of the field, proof of the attractiveness of the formula for future champions! In addition, the 208 Rally Cup is attracting attention well beyond our borders since 24 foreign drivers are listed in the ranks of the 'Cup' this season!

Five drivers for a place on the podium…

Behind Pepe Lopez (Sainteloc Racing) who is already assured of the title after his victory at the Cardabelles, five drivers will compete to recover silver and bronze. William Wagner (PH Sport) is best placed. Lopez's main competitor since the start of the year, the Vosges native will be keen to finish the season well, having already won twice (Langres and Lozère). Constantly progressing, Jérémie Toedtli (CHL Sport Auto) seems to have reached a milestone in 2016 and could well do well. Andrea Carella is also one of the candidates for the podium, he who is always very fast on the asphalt as evidenced by his victory acquired in Antibes. Finally, we must count on Patrick Magnou (Pit Stop), the regional of the stage as well as Quentin Ribaud (CHL Sport Auto), the only driver with Wagner having scored points in all the rounds since the start of the season and this , for his first season in the 208 Rally Cup.

A difficult test and numerous outsiders present

The Rallye du Var is characterized by its narrow and tricky special stages. At this time of year, the weather is often very uncertain in Sainte-Maxime. All these conditions will provide a suspenseful finale and the 23 crews registered will have a lot to do. In addition to the drivers mentioned above, we note the presence of Jean-Baptiste Franceschi, Efren Llarena (Raceseven), Joachim Wagemans (Triman) and Aki Sahila (CHL Sport Auto) who have already stood out this season. Four drivers will discover the games of the 208 Rally Cup during this final event, they are Thomas Jaudel (Pit Stop), Sébastien Bédoret (Pit Stop), Nicolas Socquet (Sainteloc Racing) and Mathieu Autiero (FB rally).