Imminent departure for the Clio Trophy France Asphalt and Gravel

Since the introduction of Clio Rally5, the two trophies have allowed young hopefuls, experienced drivers, and amateur competitors to compete on the most beautiful special stages of the French Rally Championship. This year again, their service parks will bring together most of the best French organizations while offering grids combining quality and quantity!

Imminent recovery on earth

Three weeks before the start of the Clio Trophy France Terre at Rally In Terre des Causses, around thirty crews have announced their intention to enter the race to succeed Quentin Ribaud, Florian Bouchonneau, Jean-Sébastien Vigion and Benjamin Boulenc.

Already victorious in the category, Mika Rasoamaromaka and Bastien Bergounhe will be among the favorites, but their main rival could well be a rider they know well, as Florian Bouchonneau will be back to chase a second title after the one he won in 2022. Against this trio, many competitors will try to assert themselves as serious contenders. After their first podiums at the end of 2024, Alexandre Gransagne, Christophe Truchet, and Jean Lavigne will be looking to continue their momentum and fight for victory.

Now more experienced, Anthony Rovina, Ludovic De Luca and Thomas Eustaquio will have the same goal, while Gaël Bertrand and Joan Font will want to demonstrate the extent of their progress. Returning with their ambitions raised, Johan Grès and Thomas Mouysset will also be worth watching closely, as will Benjamin Rico and Benjamin Herail after their stints in the Clio Trophy France Asphalte.

Among the newcomers, Alexandre Brossy, Anaël Cayla, Charles Charrier, Florent Sabatier, Romain Sagnes and Simon Esteban will rely on their knowledge of gravel to join the front ranks. Joris Grès will also be one to watch, as will Laurent Zambon and Lucas Valliccioni for their debuts with Clio Rally5. Finally, two competitors could well cause a surprise: Alexandre Villiod, who made notable appearances last year in Clio Trophy Spain Tierra, and Lény Cols, looking for experience on a new surface after becoming best Junior in Clio Trophy Belgium.

Guaranteed spectacle on the asphalt

The Clio Trophy France Asphalte will also bring together an extremely high-level field, the future winner of which will follow in the footsteps of Anthony Fotia, Romain Di-Fante, Thomas Chauffray, Benjamin Stirling and Arthur Pelamourgues.

Third in 2023 and second in 2024, Yoan Corberand will be looking to take the final step, but he will find himself up against fierce rivals at the forefront. Among them, Lucas Zielinski will be looking to confirm his potential after an extremely promising first campaign, and two-time winner Julien Deslauriers-Sablonnière will be looking to make his mark this season. In addition to this trio of favorites, Enzo Beschet, Jean-Claude Pietri, Jérôme Janny, Romain Fostier, and Tom Vauclare will be keen to join the fray, while Amaury Facchinetti, Anthony Diel, Maxence Potard, and Thomas Santiago will be relying on their speed to try and play spoilsport.

Marc Pompei and Paul Dachicourt will also return with revised ambitions, as will Nicolas Paviet-Roche, Kévin Duc, Rémy Narbon, Clément Didier, Enzo Mavounzy, Yohan Roumieux and Nicolas Vanderweerde. Best Women last year, Charlotte Olea will seek to get closer to the top while facing Sabine Frontier and Emma Chalvin, winner of the FFSA Women's French Cup in Rallycross in 2022 and a new recruit for the Iron Dames. At the same time, Pascal Bérard will be aiming for a second consecutive crown in the Gentlemen, where he will notably meet Franck Giraud, Jacques Bourrat, Philippe Janvier, Raphaël Monnier, but also Pascal Donnadieu and Laurent Lambert, both of whom are back in the trophy.

Clio Rally5 connoisseurs Loïc Scandola and Alex Florenson will embark on their first campaign in the Clio Trophy France Asphalte, as will Julien Arnaud, who achieved a class podium with the model at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Rally. Florent Fagnone, Sylvain Lenne, Louis Gasse, Lucas Valliccioni, Léo Vericel, David Panteix, Nicolas Dumont, Kilian Marry and Lucas Girard will also make their debut, as will Yohan Codaccioni, who recently made a strong impression in the Coupe de France with Clio Rally5.

New products on the program

This year, both trophies are maintaining their fundamentals while innovating to boost competition on all fronts. The calendars thus reveal a new asphalt kickoff for the Rallye Rhône Charbonnières, a return to the Rallye Cœur de France, and new finals at the Rallye Terre de Vaucluse and the Rallye du Var. The latter will also have a coefficient of 1,5 to maintain the suspense and put the contenders' composure to the test in the final stretch.

The other new feature is the Clio Full Challenge, designed to reward versatility in these same rounds thanks to harmonized tire quotas and scales. The winner will be determined based on each driver's six best scores, with a minimum of two results on each surface. Johan Grès, Lucas Valliccioni, Gaël Bertrand, and Christophe Truchet, who will be competing next month at the Rallye Terre des Causses and the Rallye Rhône-Charbonnières, could be the first to shine!

Competitors will continue to compete within a framework that ensures strict fairness, both sporting and technical. Combining more than €250 in parts credit and financial prizes, the bonus system remains as attractive as ever, being available across the different categories: General, Juniors, Gentlemen, Women, Teams and Network Challenge RenaultFinally, the commitment to the most promising hopefuls will be renewed since the best Juniors on each surface will be offered an official program in 2026, managed by the structures which will win the team rankings in their respective trophies.

For more information on the Clio Trophy France Asphalte and Clio Trophy France Terre in 2025, go to here.

2025 calendars

Clio Trophy France Asphalt
April 24-26: Rhône Charbonnières Rally
July 3-5: Aveyron Rouergue Occitanie Rally
September 4-6: Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine
September 26-28: Rallye Cœur de France
November 27-30: Rallye du Var

Clio Trophy France Terre
April 4-6: Terre des Causses Rally
May 29-31: Terre d'Aléria Rally
August 29-31: Rallye Terre de Lozère
October 10-12: Rallye Terre des Cardabelles
November 7-9: Terre de Vaucluse Rally

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