Matthieu and Mathilde Margaillan return to the French Gravel Rally Championship

The release of the list of participants Rally Last Friday at the Castine Terre d'Occitanie event, the surprise appearance of the 2024 French Gravel Rally Champions, who had not yet commented on the matter, has now been revealed. Matthieu and Mathilde Margaillan outlined their 2026 sporting program this Sunday evening and confirmed their participation in the French Gravel Rally Championship this season, after having skipped the championship last year. Indeed, following their 2024 title, the Margaillan siblings had chosen to pursue other avenues, notably the French Asphalt Rally Championship and WRC2. Reality quickly caught up with them, as the French Asphalt Rally Championship requires time that Matthieu Margaillan does not have. As for WRC2, their adventure ended very early with a crash during the Shakedown of the 2025 Monte Carlo Rally.

More clients for the title with Matthieu and Mathilde Margaillan

The French Rally Championship (CFR) on gravel was never short of potential title contenders, but with the Margaillan family, there are even more eager to make up for lost time. They will once again be behind the wheel of a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, and once again under the AMD Motorsport banner, which will be fielding a strong team in Bretenoux in a few days, with Emmanuel Gascou and Cédric Rabasse also representing Emmanuel Aymonod's team. Matthieu and Mathilde Margaillan, in fact, secured their first career victory in the CFR at the 2023 Rallye Castine Terre d'Occitanie before repeating the feat in 2024, the year of their championship win. Often labeled a fast but inconsistent driver, Margaillan finally managed to translate his efforts into success in that event. After more than a year's absence from this surface, it will be interesting to see how quickly the driver from the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region regains his form.

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