A successful start to the season for Louis Constant and Maxime Martini in Italy

While Italy hosts the second round of its Asphalt Rally Championship this weekend, its gravel counterpart has also been in full swing since the start of the year. Two events have already been held: the Rally Città di Foligno and the Rally della Val d'Orcia. There, local drivers are out in force but now have to contend with a French duo who could well overshadow them. Indeed, Louis Constant and Maxime Martini have specifically chosen this championship this season. Driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, the pair started cautiously in 6th position, which mathematically translates to 5th in the championship standings, as Nikolay Gryazin's factory Lancia (2nd) was inconspicuous in the top five. Second at the Rally della Val d'Orcia, the crew currently holds 2nd place in the championship.

Second in the championship, Louis Constant and Maxime Martini are ready to take on Marco Bulacia

Four races remain to be contested there, including the third round next week: the Rally Adriatico. Constant and Martini will be reunited with 2025 WRC3 World Champion Matteo Fontana, who confirmed to us in Portugal his participation in this event as well as the entire championship in a... Toyota Yaris GR Rally2. While they are credited with an eight-point deficit to Bolivian Marco Bulacia and his Spanish co-driver José Murado, it's worth remembering that Constant and Martini actually beat them in the final round of the season. Therefore, all hopes are high for the driver who finished third in the 2024 French Cup Final in Nice and his co-driver, the winner of the... Rally Antibes Côte d'Azur in the company of Nicolas Ciamin in 2021. Just like Benjamin Boulenc and Chloé Barozzi-Gauze, here is another atypical career path to watch.

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