The third Clio Ice Trophy meeting featured some spectacular battles on Pas de la Casa’s Circuit Andorra. While Dylan Dufas (RX Evolution) was fastest in qualifying, Lucas Darmezin and David Bouet answered in the finals to secure another double win for the #14 WRM by Chanoine Motorsport / SRD Racing Clio Rally5. They will battle for the title, as well as Dylan Dufas and Alex Español (Driveland / Puzzle Motorsport) next Saturday!
The Clio Ice Trophy was back in action for the season's penultimate weekend, just a week after the previous round. Amongst the entries, the title contenders were present whilst brothers Marin Le Jossec (RX Evolution) and Tom Le Jossec (WRM by Chanoine Motorsport / SRD Racing) and Markel De Zabaleta (Driveland / Puzzle Motorsport) made their return. The field also included Guillermo Millan and Daniel del Villar at Driveland / Puzzle Motorsport as well as 2022 French Women's Rallycross Cup winner Emma Chalvin (WRM by Chanoine Motorsport / SRD Racing).
DYLAN DUFAS AT THE SHARP END IN QUALIFYING
Demonstrating once again its growing popularity, the Clio Ice Trophy saw the Pas de la Casa Circuit and the GSeries set a third different track configuration. Last weekend's winner Lucas Darmezin soon found his footing on the more technical 721 metre-long circuit. The Frenchman set the fastest time in free practice, 52:169s, ahead of teammate David Bouet and Andorran Alex Español.
Second in the general classification, Dylan Dufas took the lead in qualifying. Running in the second group on track, he stopped the clock at 52:280s, a reference time allowing him to score the maximum number of intermediate points. By beating Alex Español, David Bouet and Lucas Darmezin, all three of whom were less than half a second behind, Dylan Dufas also cut his deficit to two points from leader David Bouet ahead of the finals.
BOUET AND DARMEZIN AGAIN!
Final B poleman Alex Español got surprised at the start by Lucas Darmezin and Guillermo Millan, who started from second fifth on the grid. The Andorran driver regained the advantage over the Spaniard at the end of lap one before he began to close in on Lucas Darmezin, but the Frenchman kept his cool during the battle to claim his second Final win in just eight days. Guillermo Millan ended third despite the pressure from Mathieu Lannepoudenx (Brunet Competition) and Bryan Dufas (RX Evolution) while Emma Chalvin completed the order.
In the Final A, the poleman also lost the lead in the opening metres. Front-row starter David Bouet jumped into the lead from Dylan Dufas, but the the gap between the two was less than a second for the majority of the race. The leader nevertheless kept his rival at bay to seal his third victory in three finals contested so far. After passing Daniel del Villar on lap one, Marin Le Jossec went on to finish third ahead of the Spaniard, followed by Tom Le Jossec. Meanwhile, Markel De Zabaleta fended off his countryman Joaquin Rodrigo (Brunet Competition) in their duel for sixth.
FOUR DRIVERS FOR ONE TITLE
With another one-two finish for the #14 Clio Rally5 drivers in the most spectacular round so far, David Bouet retains control of the Clio Ice Trophy ahead of the season-finale. The 2021 French Junior Rallycross Champion enjoys a six-point lead over Dylan Dufas with Lucas Darmezin ten points further back. Fourth overall, Alex Español no longer controls his destiny, but the Andorran can still hope for an exploit to claim the title on home soil next Saturday.
Round 3 – Final classification
David Bouet 36 points
Dylan Dufas 36 points
Lucas Darmezin 34 points
Alex Español 34 points
Daniel del Villar 21 points
Marin Le Jossec 21 points
Mathieu Lannepoudenx 19 points
Guillermo Millan 18 points
Bryan Dufas 14 points
Tom Le Jossec 13 points
Emma Chalvin 8 points
Markel De Zabaleta 8 points
Joaquin Rodrigo 5 points
General classification - Round 3/4
Dylan Dufas 36 points
David Bouet 36 points
Alex Español 34 points
Lucas Darmezin 34 points
Daniel del Villar 21 points
Marin Le Jossec 21 points
Mathieu Lannepoudenx 19 points
Marin Le Jossec 37 points
Mauro Polderman 29 points
Mathieu Lannepoudenx 28 points
Baptiste Panissie 26 points
Tom Le Jossec 13 points
Anthony Ghesquiere 24 points
Daniel del Villar 21 points
Guillermo Millan 18 points
Nicolas Flon 17 points
Markel De Zabaleta 16 points
Jérémy Sarhy 15 points
Stephan Polderman 13 points
Emma Chalvin 8 points
Helena Ferrer 5 points
Louka Bourd 5 points
Alain Cusimano 3 points
