Rally Finland: Mattéo Chatillon alone Tricolor in WRC3

While there were sometimes up to 4 of them lining up in this competition, there will ultimately only be Mattéo Chatillon in Finland. His other particularity will be to be at the wheel of the only Renault Clio Rally3 against 19 Ford Fiesta Rally3s.

Published on 01/08/2024 à 13:09

Loïc ROCCI

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Rally Finland: Mattéo Chatillon alone Tricolor in WRC3

The only Frenchman in WRC3 in Finland on the unique Clio Rally3 will have a hard time facing the Fiestas (Photo: Nikos Katikis/DPPI)

Inflated by the contribution of the thirteen JWRC competitors, the WRC3 looks great in Finland. Twenty crews are listed and what immediately stands out is the presence of a single Clio. If the Fiesta is the official car of the Junior, it does not yet seem to have attracted many drivers in this part of Europe. Since it is a question of French exclusivity, it is also surprising to find only one Tricolore at the start.

As a reminder, there were four of them in Portugal. Since then, Tom Pieri has been looking for solutions to return, Tristan Charpentier is also lacking budget and he also needs a new navigator after the departure of Florian Barral to the cockpit of Yohan Rossel's C3. Finally Ghjuvanni Red should be back for the distant rallies (Chile and Japan with the Chazel team). With his Clio, Mattéo Chatillon will aim for a good place to score points in the championship.

After 8 rounds, Diego Dominguez dominates the category. In his last three appearances, the Paraguayan has won three times. With a 27-point lead, it won't be easy to get back to normal. The absence of Jan Cerny is a boon for Chatillon who can try to outrun the Czech. For the native of Châtellerault, the threat will obviously come from the fastest competitors in the JWRC. If they don't completely play WRC3, they still score points. This will be the case of Romet Jürgenson, Taylor Gill or Norbert Maior.

Among the 6 other drivers who, like him, are only aiming for WRC3, Mattéo Chatillon will have to watch the three Finns who want to shine on their home soil. Unlike the French, they have knowledge of the field. If he had managed to take the 4e rank in Poland, it will perhaps be more complicated for Chatillon who has never had to encounter this type of very fast road in France.

After the superspecial run mainly on asphalt in the center of Jyväskylä on Thursday evening, the competitors will then have 3 days and 297 timed km to cover.

WRC3 rankings before Finland

Loïc ROCCI

Journalist specializing in rallying past, present and future... and with a southern accent

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