Very rainy victory for Galpin at the Rallye Saint-Emilion

For the Blésois, a regular at Saint Emilion, this new success will have a special flavor. From the start of the race, Purrey, at home, made the most of his Mitsubishi in the heavy showers and was still in the lead at the end of the 3^e tour of the three famous ES, which have become real ice rinks. In the meantime, Terrière (207 S2000, mechanical) and Morin (Ford Fiesta R5, exit) had given up. The Japanese company was still resisting very pressing competition: the Skodas of Galpin and Longépé clocking in at 3'' and 9'' respectively. From the start of the last loop, on partially dried asphalt, he took the lead; Galpin relegated Purrey to 2''. The positions seemed fixed but Longépé ruined his fantastic comeback, making a mistake in the final km of a rally true to its reputation: ruthless. Orillac had offered himself the rental of a Fiesta R5 from which he knew how to get the most out of it, concluding with the 3^e walk from a podium at the foot of which Jacob and Lacouture, excellent hosts of the F2000, were almost equal. Another feat: the success of an astonishing Mahieu, taking over the N/FN group with rare mastery. J.Teitgen

Ranking: 1. J. & A. Galpin (Skoda Fabia R5) 1h18'0'' (1^er Gr. R), 2. Purrey-Lachièze (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) at 24'' (1^er Gr. A/FA), 3. C. & Ch. Orillac (Ford Fiesta) at 4'13'', 4. Jacob-Marotte (Peugeot 206) at 5'14''(1^er Gr. F2000), 5. Lacouture-Reigniez (BMW 318i Compact) at 5'22'', 6. Borderie-Bouthier (BMW 38i Compact) at 6'29'', 7. S. & D. Mahieu (Renault Clio Ragnotti) at 6'44''(1^er Gr. N/FN), 8. J.-L. Roché-Robin (Fabia) at 7'16'', 9. Delmas-Nicolas (208 Vti) at 7'51'', 10. A. & L. Pion (Clio) at 8'26'', ... 28. Boissou-Védraine (Nissan 350Z) at 12'31'' (1^er GT), etc.