Giordano unlocks his counter

Forced to retire from the first special of the Rally du Touquet (March 17-19), Yoann Bonato left Nicolas Ciamin and Quentin Giordano to fight for victory on the Côte d'Opale, with the success of the first. “ The season is going to be long, recognizes the four-time French champion (2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021). In the Championship, we have to count the worst result at the end of the season, so I blew my joker a little too early. » Author of an ideal start with the scratch in SS 1, Bonato took advantage of the first three specials to beat Quentin Giordano and Nicolas Ciamin by more than 6'': " For this rally we have a new valve in the shock absorbers. This allows us to have more grip and to hold the car better in curves with better passing speed. » Alas, Bonato was confronted with a first alert on Friday afternoon in SS 4: “ My brake pedal went very far, I wasn't very comfortable! » A few minutes later in the following special, the Bonato-Boulloud duo again seemed to be victims of a brake problem, but the sanction was radical with a C3 Rally2 posed on the outside of a left turn. The few spectators present tried to get the car out, in vain. Bonato continues with a second retirement, the sanction risks having serious consequences at the end of the season.

Bonato out, Ciamin and Giordano find themselves fighting for victory. At the wheel of his i20 N Rally2, operated by the 2C Compétition team, Nicolas Ciamin spun in the first special and lost 15''. Despite this outlay, he inherited first place after Bonato's abandonment. Particularly calm at the wheel of his Polo GTI R5, Quentin Giordano kept Ciamin under pressure with only 0 seconds behind at the end of the first stage. “ We are used to seeing small gaps in the French Championship », says Giordano at the end of the day. For his part, Ciamin says that victory is no longer the main objective after the mechanical problems