Jean-Baptiste Franceschi returns to CFR in Antibes

A surprise this Friday, May 1st: Jean-Baptiste Franceschi will make his return to the French Rally Championship at the event Rally Antibes Côte d'Azur on May 16th and 17th. The two-time French Gravel Rally Champion, recent winner of the Rallye du Pays d'Olliergues, announced it this evening on his social media and will continue his winning streak on this occasion, as he will be driving the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 of Team AMD Motorsport.

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As in 2024, the season in which the eldest of the Franceschi brothers competed in the French Rally Championship (CFR) with Stéphane Sarrazin's team, Jules Escartefigue will co-drive for the former ERC3 European Rally Champion (2021). Just before the Rallye Antibes Côte d'Azur, Jean-Baptiste Franceschi will participate next week in the Rallye des Monts de Vaucluse VHC, driving a BMW M3 E30 alongside Stéphane Moulin.

Jean-Baptiste Franceschi, a rollercoaster career

After suffering a very serious accident at the 2021 Rallye du Var, Jean-Baptiste Franceschi, then crowned champion in Europe, could have lost everything. Through sheer determination, the driver from Fayence made a partial comeback in 2022 before returning to the 2023 French Gravel Rally Championship, a competition he had already won in the 2020 season, which was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also competed in the Asphalt Championship in the official Citroën C3 R5, a seat vacated by Yohan Rossel and Benoit Fulcrand. A year after his younger brother Mathieu, who had also chosen the CFRT (French Gravel Rally Championship) to relaunch his career, "JBF" once again made the switch to top-level competition, driving a Ford Fiesta Rally2 supported by Iron Lynx. Since the end of the 2024 season, Jean-Baptiste Franceschi's appearances have been few and far between. In 2024, during his last participation in the Rallye Antibes Côte d'Azur, he finished in 6th place.

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