Albatec Racing with Philippe Maloigne overcame treacherous weather conditions to win round two of the French Rallycross Championship at Chateauroux on Sunday (22 May). Heading into the weekend looking for a podium finish, a solid start saw the pairing take the lead in the intermediate classification on Saturday and never look back, despite torrential rain at the French track on Sunday.

The event began with free practice on Saturday morning and saw the Frenchman take the wheel of his SamShield-backed Peugeot 208 RX Supercar for his first competitive laps around the 981m rallycross track. From the start he demonstrated his intentions, with a strong opening pace that ultimately netted the fourth fastest time.

Heading into the first of four qualifying heats, Philippe was immediately quick, second in his race and ending the overall standings in second place, and with it the fourth fastest race lap. The day’s second heat saw Philippe take a race win, and his first overall heat victory, setting the fastest lap along the way, and elevating him to the top of the intermediate classification.

Sunday saw torrential rain throughout, making driving conditions difficult for the Frenchman in only his third season in racing. In heat three, a fantastic race win in ever worsening weather conditions earnt Philippe the fourth overall fastest time. With the track now awash, heat four also proved challenging, and resulted in the fifth fastest time, but still enough to keep him at the top of the points standings.

For the semi-finals the series organiser took the decision to remove the joker lap, due to the incessant weather, where Philippe took third to guarantee a place in the Final. A superb drive by the former motocross racer, determined to achieve a first Supercar podium this weekend, saw him take the race victory in only his second race with the Dumfries team.

Andy Scott, Team Principal Albatec Racing :

“What can I say, it’s been a great weekend and I’m delighted for Philippe and the entire team who have worked so hard. On Saturday, in the dry, Philippe was consistently fast across practice and both heats to take an early lead which he never lost. Weather conditions on Sunday were particularly difficult, but he overcame them well and drove fantastic throughout the day.

“It’s great to see Philippe develop as a driver in such a prestigious championship. He continues to get stronger with every race, and now with that first Supercar win under his belt I’m sure he’ll soon be challenging for more outright wins.”

Philippe Maloigne, driver Albatec Racing :

“What a fantastic feeling. Day one was excellent in terms of results and my feeling with the car, the track, and the conditions. I was very happy to finish second in Q1 and then to win Q2 was a great feeling. The Peugeot 208 was great, we used the Mettet settings the team used so successfully in Euro RX, and it was perfect. There is room for improvement there I know, but I’m happy with my performance in only my third season in racing.

“Conditions were very difficult on Sunday, as it rained all day and in the opening heat it worsened dramatically just before my heat, giving me a slower time. Despite that I won my race, so I can’t be too disappointed. Overall there are a lot of positives from the weekend, I led the Intermediate classification from heat two onwards, and collected some good points for the championship.”