Jura Round: Action to kick off 2026

2025 isn't even a closed chapter yet, and 2026 is already looming with a packed sporting calendar. While the Dakar Rally will obviously be at the heart of the news in the coming days, France will also be... Rally It will also be featured in the Ronde du Jura, organized near Champagnole. The organizers have revealed the entry list of what constitutes the very first rally of the season. Defending champion Ludovic Godard will be there with number 1 on his doors and Matthieu Bôle-Richard as his co-driver, all in a Renault The Clio Rally3, which allowed the crew to win last year in snowy and even icy conditions after nightfall. They will have to contend with Thomas Benier (Renault Clio Rally3), Victor Cartier (Toyota Yaris Rally2-kit), Paul Euvrard (Hyundai i20N Rally2) or Nicolas Ramboz (Škoda Fabia Rally2).

A compact program

In total, 86 modern crews and 13 VHRS (Historic Rally Cars) entered the event. Unfortunately, due to an insufficient number of competitors, the VHC (Historic Rally Cars) support event had to be cancelled by the organizers. From a weather perspective, snow fell a few days ago, but conditions are likely to be unpredictable on Saturday, the day of the rally, and will almost certainly require crews to carefully choose the right tires. Two special stages will be run three times each, and a famous section of this rally, the 3,5-kilometer Marais stage, is making a comeback after being omitted in recent years. This will be the first stage of the loop. Finally, the schedule has also changed compared to last year: the rally ended very late, so the organizers took the opportunity to start it earlier in the day, at 08:53, with an arrival scheduled for 18:28.

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