Julien Casale, Arthur Pelamourgues, Kévin Duc and Laurent Lacomy winners in the French Rally Cup

In addition to two rounds of the French Rally Championship 2nd Division, the May 1st weekend featured four other rallies organized in France counting towards the French Rally Cup. Three regional rallies and one rally National events were on the program, featuring some prestigious names and some fierce battles.

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Val d'Agout Rally (N): Julien Casale and Valentin Augé take the win

Naturally, the Team Meca Fontanilles duo were considered favorites last Saturday in Brassac, even though Jean-Michel Da Cunha and Bastien Dumas (Citroën C3 Rally2) were also competing. From the start of the rally, the winner of the 2025 Michelin Amateur Trophy took the lead but made a mistake in SS3, allowing the winner of the 2019 French Rally Cup Final to regain the top spot. Setting four fastest times out of five the following day, Julien Casale and Valentin Augé (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) ultimately triumphed ahead of Jérémy Puech – Philippe Curel (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) and Nicolas Rouillard – Christel Olivet (Citroën DS3 R5). Because, on Sunday morning, Da Cunha and Dumas made a mistake in SS5 and although they were able to restart, they abandoned their chances of victory in this incident.

Rallye du Morbihan (R): Arthur Pelamourgues favorite

The Aveyron driver, fresh from the Canary Islands, lined up at the start of the Rallye du Morbihan last weekend aboard the Hyundai The Fun Meca Sport i20N Rally2, with Emmanuel Brissiaud, brother of team boss Jérémy Brissiaud, in the co-driver's seat, was a strong contender. While rally regulars were also present, there was little doubt about the outcome, and the 2024 Clio Trophy France winner, Arthur Pelamourgues, followed a predictable pattern, securing victory in Pluherlin. With seven wins out of seven stages, Pelamourgues' performance was flawless. Patrice and Valérie Robert, in their Škoda Fabia R5, finished second, 52,5 seconds behind the winners, while third place went to Emmanuel Galivel and Antoine Conan, also driving a Škoda Fabia R5.

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Beaufortain Rally (R): A family affair

There was also a strong field at the start of the Rallye du Beaufortain in Savoie last weekend. This is evidenced by the gap between the top four crews in the final overall standings, a mere 22,7 seconds. This should, of course, be considered in light of the 39,90-kilometer distance covered, but it's still significant enough to demonstrate the level of performance displayed by the leaders. Ultimately, Kévin and Yann Duc (Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) emerged victorious, finishing 13,5 seconds ahead of Dimitri and Léo Prud'homme (Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo), while Michel and Méryl Giraldo (Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) completed the podium in third place, 2,6 seconds behind the Prud'homme family.

Rallye du Pays Gentiane (R): Second victory of the season for Laurent Lacomy

A 9,45-kilometer special stage, four runs in the same day: the ingredients of the Rallye du Pays Gentiane in the Cantal region were minimalist. This didn't prevent a thrilling battle between Laurent Lacomy and Yoann Bouchet (Citroën C3 Rally2) and Arnaud Masclaux and Alexandre Moulin (Škoda Fabia R5). The two crews traded the lead, but it was ultimately Lacomy who prevailed, winning by a mere three seconds over their rivals. The gaps were more significant further back, with Eric Hervé-Grillot and Stéphane Mathiault (Škoda Fabia R5) completing the podium, 51 seconds behind Laurent Lacomy.