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RS9 between Beaumont-du-Ventoux and Sault (29.9km) allowed BMW to open its counter of wins in the Reguarity Specials of this 6th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo. Philippe Segura Morote and Xavier Baux, in their BMW IX entered by Force Publique Monaco, finished ahead of Michelin-starred chef Michel Chabran, on board with Eric Mallen in a Renault Mégane sporting the colors of the eborn charging network. The Renaults were in good shape in this RS9, the most expected stage and culminating point of this rally, at Col des Tempêtes, just a bit lower than Mont Ventoux (1,830m). The Zoé of Nicolas Pery and Marina Depresseux took 3rd place tied with the Kia Niro of Slovenian crew Franko Spacapan-Sebastjan Kobal. But no change happened in the overall standings since Jacques Pastor and Fulvio Gazzola (Kia EV6) retained control of the lead, one stage away from the end of this very intense Day 3, on the road to Monaco.
The Peugeot e-208 of Jean-François Macario and Ludovic Emond, ahead of Damien Caputo and Jérôme Franceschin’s Volkswagen ID5, followed by a hydrogen-powered Hyundai Nexo driven by the winner of Monte-Carlo Rally 1988 in the WRC, Bruno Saby (in a mythical Lancia Delta HF), with Pascal Serre as co-driver for this 2022 edition. This trio of serious customers were the best in RS8, between Chastel-Arnaud and Crupies (20 km). Not enough to upset the overall ranking since Jacques Pastor and Fulvio Gazzola, in their Kia EV6, took 4th place and consolidated their leadership, pending further events…
The Braleys have hydrogen in their veins! In addition to producing, in Lozère, their own hydrogen, under the lable of Natural Gas for Vehicles (NGV), it is the residual water from production that is used in the truck fleet washing station! “It’s a coherent and totally virtuous project”, insist the Braley family. At the wheel of one of the three Hyundai Nexo powered by hydrogen, Ludovic Braley demonstrated in this 2nd Leg, by winning 2 Regularity Specials out of 4, the qualities of this very efficient home-made gas. Bruno Saby will not contradict him, since he drives another Hyundai Nexo and says he is convinced that this energy undoubtedly represents the future of motorsport.
Already victorious in SR5 on Thursday morning, Karel Colibert and Nathalie Zbinden, in their VW ID5, added a second success in this 2nd Leg before heading back to Valence, in SR7 between Antraigues sur Volane and Saint-Andéol de Vals (18 km). This is just as significant as the hydrogen-powered Hyundai Nexo of the Braley-Jouve duet, who also won two Regularity Specials on Thursday. But the good operation in the standings is for the female duet entered by the Monaco Department of Urban Development: they finished the day in 2nd place, just behind the Kia EV6 of Jacques Pastor and Fulvio Gazzola who managed their leadership perfectly, all day long. They returned to Valence at the top of the overall standings on Thursday evening, at the end of a very lively day on the beautiful roads of Ardèche.
The Hyundai Nexo of Ludovic Braley and Antoine Jouve, powered by hydrogen, had started the second day of the 6th E-Rally Monte-Carlo well, by winning SR4. They did it again in SR6, between Sablières and Rocles (22 km), and again ahead of the Kia EV6 of Jacques Pastor and Fulvio Gazzola, as in SR4. This time, the Pastor-Gazzola duet was tied with four other crews from four different brands, but it did not prevent the Kia crew to retain the lead in the overall classification that they took as soon as SR4 early in the morning.
They were at the top of the overall standings on Wednesday evening when returning to Valence at the end of Day 1. They stood out again on Thursday morning in the RS5 (16km) between Seyras and Grimaldes: Karel Colibert and Nathalie Zbinden, in their VW ID5 sporting the colors of Monaco’s Department of Urban Development, achieved the best result in front of a whole series of male drivers tied for 2nd place, including Michelin-starred chef Michel Chabran (Renault Mégane) and Olivier Campana (BMW i4).
One of the absolute icons of the hippy world is back, 60 years later. The team made of Noam Grootvriendt and Olivier Van Hoorebeke, entered by the Belgium VW Club, has started this 6th edition of the Monte-Carlo E-Rally driving the VW ID Buzz N.31. Enough to create a lot of buzz a few days before Halloween. This is a rather unique model, since the production versions will only hit the French roads from next January.
An unmissable stage for most of Monte-Carlo rallies, this 6th edition of the E-Rally was no exception to the rule… as evidenced by this table mixing starred chef Michel Chabran with professional and amateur drivers such as Denis Carreaux. The Editor in chief of local daily Nice Matin spent some time chatting with Yves Jouanny, the grand master of the eternal Remise, still wonderfully managed by the whole of the Jouanny family.
On the menu of the 2nd day of the 6th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo, the Ardèche roads promised a lot. And the first regularity stage of the morning (SR4, Saint-Priest – Mirabel, 21.5km) did not disappoint with another brand, and another source of energy, at the top of the timesheet: Hyundai, as the Nexo of Ludovic Braley and Antoine Jouve, propelled by hydrogen, did better than the Kia EV6 of Jacques Pastor and Fulvio Gazzola. This 2nd place allowed this Kia to take the overall lead of the rally, ahead of the DS3 Crossback of Alexandre Stricher and Thierry Benchetrit, 3rd in RS4 and now 2nd overall.
Formerly a stronghold on the WRC route, the municipality of Privas received for the very first time the 100 % electric version of of RallyeMonteCarlo, Thursday morning, at the start of a day planned on the magnificent and selective roads of Ardèche! The Vals les Bains team of ASA Ardèche has not lost their hand and brilliantly ensured Privas Control Point, early in the morning, for 54 crews arriving straight from Valence.
