Vosges Grand Est Rally: Melvin Rabilloud and Timo Schulz lead the e-Rally

The trophy Alpine The A290 Rallye and the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup are holding the second round of their respective championships in Gerardmer. After a first leg consisting of three runs through the Corcieux special stage, the hierarchy is beginning to take shape in both competitions.

On the Rally In the Vosges Grand Est region, electric cars are also featured with a 100% electric rally allowing... Alpine The A290 Rally and the Opel Mokka GSE Rally will share a common route. For the cars with the arrowed A, this is the second round of the season in the Trophy series. Alpine The A290 Rally follows the Rallye Le Touquet – Pas-de-Calais, and this weekend also marks the second round of the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup, following the first race held in Luxembourg at the end of May. Today, competitors in both events had to run the Corcieux special stage three times to complete the route of their first leg. Each special stage included a stop at the service area to recharge their batteries.

On the Trophy side Alpine In the A290 Rally, the favorites are definitely living up to expectations at the end of this first leg. Melvin Rabilloud and Enzo Mahinc set two of the three fastest times of the day and finished this first part of the rally with a 16,1-second lead over their closest rivals. Aymeric Lenoir and Florian Hosson, who set the fastest time in SS3, remain in contention, as do Samuel Hoarau and Stéphane Duverger, currently third, 48,7 seconds behind second place. Also of note is the presence of Julien Ingrassia, eight-time World Rally Champion, and Emma Bonnemort as his co-driver: the duo currently sits in eighth position and had a minor incident in SS1 this morning.

ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup: Frenchman Tom Dufour provisionally third

This isn't the first time the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup has set up shop in the Vosges Mountains, although the 2026 edition of the rally marks the Opel Mokka GSE Rally's first competitive appearance in France. One car was seen at the opening of the Rallye Cœur de France – Centre Val de Loire last year, driven by Alexandre Bengué and co-driven by Guillaume Mercoiret. Tonight, German driver Timo Schulz and his co-driver Maresa Lade, winners of the Opel Electric Rally at the season opener, lead the overall standings, but the gaps are much closer than in the Trophy series. Alpine A290 Rally. Thus, the Champion ERC Junior champion Calle Carlberg, partnered with his father Torbjörn and special guest of the French round, is in 2nd position, 12,2 seconds behind the leader, while Rallye Jeunes 2026 winner Tom Dufour and his co-driver Alex Dubois are 3rd, 2,8 seconds behind second position.

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As an interesting side note, if all the electric vehicles had been mixed together, the three leading Opel Mokka GSE Rally cars would occupy the top three positions in a potential combined ranking, ahead of theAlpine The A290 Rallye of Melvin Rabilloud and Enzo Mahinc, and that of Aymeric Lenoir and Florian Hosson. Tomorrow, all crews will have four more special stages to complete: two runs through La Vologne (SS7 and SS11, 25,71 kilometers) followed by two runs through Les Trois Cols, first the long version (14,24 kilometers) for SS9 and then the short version (13,6 kilometers) for the final SS12. Refueling will take place between SS9 and SS11, during the break between the two loops.

CFR – e-Rallye Vosges Grand Est
The Trophy standings Alpine A290 Rally after SS6

The ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup standings after SS6