While Lucas Darmezin (WRM by Chanoine Motorsport / SRD Racing) ran the table to win the Clio Ice Trophy final round, Dylan Dufas (RX Evolution) did what it took to pip David Bouet (WRM by Chanoine Motorsport / SRD Racing) for the title. The 26-year-old Frenchman, who won the French Junior Rallycross Championship with Renault Twingo R1 in 2019, is back at the top of his game with his first title with Renault Clio Rally5 on the Pas de la Casa Circuit at 2,400 metres above sea level.

Amongst the contenders entering the final round of the Clio Ice Trophy and GSeries, all eyes were on the four drivers still able to win the title: David Bouet, Lucas Darmezin, Dylan Dufas and Alex Español (Driveland / Puzzle Motorsport). David Bouet has led the general classification since the season's first meeting and started this decisive Saturday with a six-point advantage over Dylan Dufas.

DARMEZIN PUTS HIS RIVALS UNDER PRESSURE

Free practice was postponed by one hour to offer the drivers the best possible snow conditions, and Lucas Darmezin was the man to beat. Running in group three, the Frenchman went quickest with a lap of 49.534s, ahead of his three rivals, who were all in the same group, with less than 0.06s separating them. In his Clio Ice Trophy debut, Spaniard Antonio Otero (Driveland / Puzzle Motorsport) completed the top five.

It was the same scenario in qualifying. Lucas Darmezin lowered the mark previously set by Dylan Dufas on his first flying lap before setting the reference time on the 577-metre-long track in 49.395s. With this performance, Lucas Darmezin scored the maximum number of intermediate points to cut his deficit to David Bouet to ten. Dylan Dufas also trimmed the gap to the general classification leader to just two points.

DUFAS BY A WHISKER!

With 25 points at stake, the Final B offered a proper duel for the title. Second and fourth in qualifying, Dylan Dufas and David Bouet shared the front row, knowing that a win would be synonymous with the title. From pole, Dylan Dufas held on to the lead and resisted the increasing offensive from David Bouet as the chequered flag drew near. Despite the mounting pressure, Dylan Dufas won by 0.502s. His brother Bryan Dufas (RX Evolution) finished in third place, ahead of Henri Dezoteux (WRM by Chanoine Motorsport / SRD Racing), who made an excellent start before countering the attacks of the Driveland / Puzzle Motorsport duo formed by Angel Rodriguez and Markel De Zabaleta. Helena Ferrer (Brunet Competition) completed the order in seventh place. 

The last race of the season, the Final A, was also quite spirited. Surprised at the start by Antonio Otero, Lucas Darmezin reclaimed the lead on lap two to go on for a comfortable win to complete his perfect outing. Second on the grid, Alex Español also regained lost ground, moving back from fifth to second, while Jérémy Prat (RX Evolution) snatched third place from Antonio Otero on the penultimate lap. Quentin Legaillard (WRM by Chanoine Motorsport / SRD Racing) came home fifth ahead of Joaquin Rodrigo (Brunet Competition) in his first appearance in the trophy. 

With the victory, Dylan Dufas took the lead in the general classification for the first time and at the best time. The 2019 French Junior Rallycross Champion snatched the title from David Bouet by just two points. With a maximum points effort, Lucas Darmezin secured his second triumph in four rounds to finish third in the standings, six points further back. By succeeding Romain Di-Fante in the Clio Ice Trophy, Dylan Dufas wins an entry for one of the Clio Trophies rallying seasons or three rounds in Clio Cup Europe, as well as an allocation of Michelin tyres to defend his crown in 2024. 

After a season rich in competitivity and marked by the exceptional reliability of Clio Rally5 in winter conditions thanks to Castrol's high-performance products, the Clio Ice Trophy is already looking forward to more spectacular races on the ice next winter!

Dylan Dufas: "We raced one round where we finished second last year, but we didn't have a specific goal when we entered the Clio Ice Trophy with RX Evolution this year. The first races went quite well. Our starts in the G2 and G3 finals were somewhat weak, but we were consistent in qualifying. We scored a series of podium finishes, which allowed us to win the title after a great battle with David and Lucas. Like everyone in the WRM team, they caused us a few problems throughout the season, but we are tremendously delighted to have won the title. We hope to come back next year and maybe aim for a repeat. I want to thank the whole organisation and the volunteers involved in this Clio Ice Trophy, which I highly recommend to all drivers. It was a wonderful series with always very clean battles. It was so much fun, well organised and very competitive with some excellent competitors, some of whom we knew very well. Thanks to Renault and Alpine Racing for this great initiative, and I hope to have the chance to drive in the Rallycross European Championship in one of the Clio's built by RX Evolution!"

Round 4 – Final classification
1. Lucas Darmezin 40 points
2. Dylan Dufas 38 points
3. Alex Español 32 points
4. David Bouet 30 points 
5. Bryan Dufas 22 points
6. Antonio Otero 21 points 
7. Jérémy Prat 20 points
8. Henri Dezoteux 14 points
9. Angel Rodriguez 13 points
10. Markel De Zabaleta 12 points
11. Quentin Legaillard 12 points
12. Joaquin Rodrigo 8 points
13. Helena Ferrer 5 points

Final general classification
1. Dylan Dufas 138 points
2. David Bouet 136 points 
3. Lucas Darmezin 130 points
4. Alex Español 117 points
5. Bryan Dufas 72 points
6. Joaquin Rodrigo 51 points
7. Enzo Lucotte 49 points 
8. Marin Le Jossec 37 points
9. Mauro Polderman 29 points
10. Mathieu Lannepoudenx 28 points
11. Markel De Zabaleta 28 points
12. Baptiste Panissie 26 points
13. Tom Le Jossec 13 points
14. Anthony Ghesquiere 24 points
15. Antonio Otero 21 points
16. Daniel del Villar 21 points
17. Jérémy Prat 20 points
18. Guillermo Millan 18 points
19. Nicolas Flon 17 points
20. Jérémy Sarhy 15 points
21. Henri Dezoteux 14 points
22. Angel Rodriguez 13 points
23. Stephan Polderman 13 points
24. Quentin Legaillard 12 points
25. Helena Ferrer 10 points
26. Emma Chalvin 8 points
27. Louka Bourd 5 points
28. Alain Cusimano 3 points