Sarah Rumeau and Cindy Gudet conclude their rally season with legend Michèle Mouton

Launched at the start of the season as part of the FFSA's feminization plan, the federal ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup program ended last weekend at Rally Central Europe, penultimate round of the World Championship WRC 2023. An event contested in three different countries between Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. For the occasion, Sarah Rumeau and Cindy Gudet took advantage of a long exchange with Michèle Mouton, listening to the advice of the woman who remains, to this day, the reference for female rally drivers since the 1980s: four victories in the world championship and the fight for the world title in 1982.

A difficult and constructive WRC rally

On a sporting level, this final event was marked by roads made difficult with the passage of the WRC crews. In these particular conditions coupled with capricious weather, the women's duos of the FFSA evolved to gain maximum experience and reach the finish line in the best possible position. If the Swede Calle Carlberg won the 2023 ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup, the Austrian Luca Pröglhöf for his part celebrated his first victory at the wheel of the Opel Corsa Rally Electric.

At the wheel of their electric cars operated by apprentice mechanics from the FFSA Academy, in front of 125 spectators, Sarah Rumeau and Julien Amblard closed their Center Europe rally in 000th position, Cindy Gudet and Jeanne Rey finishing 5th in the standings. test. In the final classification of the championship Sarah finished 8th just off the podium and Cindy, for her first season in rallying, 4th.

“Seb’s visit Ogier then the exchange with Michèle Mouton… I had stars in my eyes and it is certain, this moment will remain engraved in my memory, confided Sarah Rumeau. We are at the end of the rally with a wealth of experience gained following the extreme conditions encountered. The sensations were good despite very weak grip but we lacked confidence in the tricky parts. We finished 4th in the championship for a year of discovery on several levels: car, rallies and team. Our retirement from the Saarland-Pfalz rally cost us a lot, knowing that we do not count on results in this cup. »

“I hope that through this experience with the FFSA, it will give certain passionate young women the desire to get started, underlined Cindy Gudet for her first season in rallying. We are at the finish of this last rally, incredible in terms of its atmosphere but also its conditions. It’s a blessing to have been able to be at the heart of a world rally. As expected after the WRC, we encountered some very poor stages. For us the test got complicated from the 3rd special onwards by making us trapped in a dirty rope. Following the shock, we lost 9 minutes with Jeanne and did not have assistance before the end of the day. Thanks to the team, we were able to leave with a perfect car the next day. We finished in 8th place, taking advantage of the mistakes made by our competitors in these difficult conditions. For the experience, it was interesting to continue training in “the hard way”.

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