Rouergue: Cuoq finally returns to victory

Stéphane Sarrazin had led during the first stage of the Rally du Rouergue, the pilot of the 37 WRC was unable to do anything against Jean-Marie Cuoq who built his victory by signing all the scratches in the second stage. The Team Chazel by GT2i driver returns to success in the French Rally Championship after his last victory at the 2007 Rallye du Var. " Finally ! I had to force myself to channel my passion. I took some time to feel comfortable in the first stage. I knew the decision was going to be made during the second stage. This victory is a great satisfaction. Since the start of the season, we have put a lot of energy into winning but there is always a little grain of sand. It makes me very happy to win in front of Stéphane. »

Stéphane Sarrazin lost time by encountering brake problems and had to settle for second place, ahead of the Citroën C4 WRC of Jean-Michel Da Cunha who completed the podium. Cédric Robert and Freddy Loix took advantage of the abandonment of several serious competitors such as Bryan Bouffier or Dany Snobeck to complete the top five with their Peugeot 207 S2000. The Belgian fails just 2”8 from fourth place. Lionel Baud finished in sixth place ahead of reigning champion Gilles Nantet (Porsche 997 Cup). David Salanon (207 S2000), Emmanuel Guigou (Renault Mégane RS) and Jean-Mathieu Léandri (207 S2000) complete the top ten at the finish.

Discover the report from the Rallye du Rouergue in the next issue of AUTOhebdo, available from Tuesday in digital version for iPad, PC and Mac, and from Wednesday on newsstands.