Canaries: Bonato and Boulloud make the double

Winners last year, Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud won a second consecutive success in the Canaries. At the wheel of its Citroën C2 Rally3, the French crew was able to control Mathieu Franceschi who showed great progress on the asphalt and performed well in the championship.

Published 04/05/2024 à 19:14

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Canaries: Bonato and Boulloud make the double

After a great battle Yoann Bonato won his 2nd Canary Islands Rally (Photo: Red Bull)

If the Canaries is not the event which offers the greatest spectacle on the roads, the Rally2s being now glued to the ground, it was more lively in the classification. After a first stage during which the gap between Yoann Bonato and Mathieu Franceschi never exceeded 1”7, the second day showed promise. The two Frenchmen had isolated themselves at the front and the eldest had a 0'' margin over his younger brother at the start this Saturday.

Six special stages representing 97,22 km timed were on the program for this 2^e day and from the start Bonato made his intentions clear. Praising the qualities of his Michelin mount and tires, the multiple French champion added 1”3 to his nest egg over the 9,41 km of the first section. He took a decisive step towards victory in the longest sector of the rally. At the end of the 27,70 km of Moya-Valleseco, Yoann increased his lead to 4”2 over Franceschi with still a stage to go. The latter preferring to concentrate on the championship, Bonato returned to the service park with a margin of 6''9. Given the difficulty of creating gaps (or closing them!) on this pitch, the match between the two Frenchmen was over.

During the afternoon loop, even though he said he was no longer aiming for victory, Franceschi erased half of his deficit and showed up with only 3 seconds to go during the Power Stage. Seeming to manage his effort, Bonato didn't appear any more worried than that... and he was right since he managed to keep a 7''2 margin to get his 8^e success in the Canaries. By obtaining his 2^e consecutive podium and taking advantage of the poor performances of the other candidates for the title, Franceschi escapes at the top of the championship.

After a furious battle, Alejandro Cachon managed to get the better of his compatriots Diego Ruiloba and José Suarez to gain 3rd place, winning the Spanish round at the same time.

After a start to the race dominated by Timo Schulz, Mille Johansson took the reins of the Junior ERC after SS4 and he was never worried again. He won ahead of the other Swede Calle Carlberg and Schulz. Still having progress to make on the tarmac, Max McRae settles for 4^e rank.

Final standings for the 2024 Canaries Rally