77 entries for the Castine Terre d'Occitanie Rally

The entry list of the Rally The Castine Terre d'Occitanie, the first round of the French Gravel Rally Championship, scheduled for March 07th and 08th in Bretenoux (Lot), has just been announced. For the first time in its history, the rally will open the season instead of the Rallye Terre des Causses, whose date, set for early April, remains unchanged (April 04th-05th) due to issues related to the nesting period of a protected bird species in the area. As a result, the season starts a month earlier than usual, but the main contenders in the discipline will be present, as evidenced by the various announcements published in recent days. A total of 22 Rally2 cars will be at the start of the rally next week, with a high and very consistent level of competition among all the crews involved. While the entry list isn't particularly long, it is of high quality and promises a great spectacle.

Rallye Castine Terre d'Occitanie: a very high-quality field

In addition to all the competitors who have already announced their participation in this opening round of the CFRT, we can also note the presence of the 2024 French Champions Matthieu and Mathilde Margaillan in their Škoda Fabia RS: as a side note, it was at Castine in 2023 that they secured their very first career victory in the championship. Further down the entry list, six Renault The Clio Rally3 will be a hot topic in this class, as well as in the GT2i CFRT FFSA Trophy reserved for these cars. In the Yacco National Gravel Trophy, where older four-wheel-drive cars will be prominent, keep an eye on reigning champion Guy Bekaert (Subaru Impreza), his runner-up Jean-Luc Morel (Subaru Impreza), winner at Castine last year, and local favorite Maxime Lafon (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9). Also of note is the presence of reigning two-wheel-drive champion Loïc Astier (Peugeot 208 F214) or, in the same vein, the young talent Alexandre Villiod (Peugeot 208 Rally4).

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16 crews entered in the VHC category at Castine

The only downside is the presence of just three Renault Clio Rally5s for the opening round of the Clio Trophy France Terre. Having nearly disappeared, the competition was narrowly saved in recent weeks with a program of only three races (Castine, Causses, and Cardabelles): the Rallye Castine Terre d'Occitanie is unfortunately the one to suffer the consequences. It's worth noting, however, that the reigning champion, Mika Rasoamaromaka, will be present, but as we announced a few days ago, at the wheel of a Clio Rally3. Finally, 16 crews will take the start of the historic event, including, once again, some familiar names: Philippe Herran, Loic Panagiotis, and locals Nicolas Thérond and Laurent Battut, competing on their home turf.

Discover the list of participants HERE].