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Avis, one of the major car rental networks, is a partner of E-Rallye Monte-Carlo and uses it as a life-size test bench. This year, two experienced crews are entered in a couple of Hyundai Kona SUVs: one associates Marie Périn and Valérie Fontaine (aiming for the Ladies’ Cup) and another one is entrusted to Serge Garosi, a former French gravel rally champion, and Michel Périn, whose co-driving record would not fit in a directory. This shows that Avis take things seriously, knowing already that the electrification of its fleet of vehicles has to follow an exponential curve. A third entry, a Megane E Tech, is entered for a “house” crew made of Raphaël Sporshill and Wissem Ben Khelifa. A great mark of professionalism!
As in the heyday of his win in the 1988 edition of Rallye Monte-Carlo, in WRC, Bruno Saby appeared at the very top of a time sheet, on Saturday morning, and won RS12 between Le Fugeret and Thorame-Haute (17.9 km ). Perfectly navigated by Pascal Serre, in the right seat of their hydrogen-powered Hyundai Nexo, Saby perfectly respected the average imposed by the organizers. At the end of this famous Colle Saint-Michel, the crew of Team Espoir Cancer Braley Koni was tied with Antoine Dechamps and Michael Salvador, in their VW ID4. It was a very tight special, where eight crews finished in 3rd place, starting with Didier Malga and Anne-Valérie Bonnel (Porsche Taycan), winners in 2017 and still 5th overall, ahead of Saby-Serre in their Hyundai Nexo (6th).
The last Regularity Special (RS11) of the 3rd day, between Montauroux and Tanneron, was only 13 km long, in the Var. It ended in a perfect tie for first place, between the Peugeot e-208 of Audrey Melice and Yvan Bard, and the Renault Megane of Emilien Le Borgne and Romain Montembault. There was also a tie for 3rd place in this RS11, between another Peugeot e-208, that of Gilles Gard and Alain Gazal, and two VWs: the ID5 of Iwan Kneuts and Ken Divjak, another crew entered by Belgium VW Club, and the ID5 of Karel Colibert and Nathalie Zbinden, once again in the leading pack. On Friday evening, before the four specials of the 4th and last day, the situation is unchanged compared to Thursday evening: the Kia EV6 of Jacques Pastor and Fulvio Gazzola still leading, ahead of the best female crew of this 6th E-Monte-Carlo Rally, by far, made up of Karel Colibert and Nathalie Zbinden, the two Monegasques.
The third Regularity Stage (out of 4) on the menu of this very long 3rd day, between Aiguines and Trigance (29.2 km), was the first of the rally to be contested in the Var department and BMW did it again: Philippe Segura and Xavier Baux, in their BMW IX entered by Monaco Public Force (which brings together firefighters and carabinieri from the Principality), were the best again, as in RS9 on Mont-Ventoux at the end of the morning. This time, they finished tied with two other crews who had not yet had the honors of a special podium during this 6th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo: Christian Grimaldi and Jean-Baptiste Loty (Skoda Enyaq) on one hand, Bernard Heine and Laurent Secretin (VW ID3) on the other, entered by the Belgium VW Club. Once past the Trigance checkpoint, the 53 crews still had a SR11 to take, between Montauroux and Tanneron, before heading to Monaco. With the Kia EV6 of Jacques Pastor and Fulvio Gazzola still at the top of the overall standings, ahead of the BMW i4 of Olivier Campana and Nicolas Milanesio (2nd). And with the excellent female duo made up of Karel Colibert and Nathalie Zbinden (VW ID5) in 3rd place, thanks to their remarkable consistency at the front since the start on Wednesday.
A partner for the past five years of E-Rallye Monte-Carlo, Laurent Chareyre, Director of Communication for the eborn network, is particularly involved in the installation of charging stations in rural areas of the Southern Alps. With three crews sporting the colors of eborn in this 6th edition, including a premium ambassador in the person of Michelin-starred Chef Michel Chabran, eborn wishes to demonstrate that travelling through the hinterland is no longer an obstacle for electric vehicles. Leader in the South-East of France in terms of charging stations, eborn is not far from having won its bet. And eborn drivers shone on Friday, in the first two stages of Day 3: a win for Jean-François Macario and Ludovic Emond (Peugeot e-208) in RS8, then a 2nd place for Michel Chabran and Eric Mallen (Renault Mégane) in RS9.
In its beginnings, the Koni company did not yet manufacture shock absorbers, but leather accessories for horses. Then, at the dawn of Second World War, Koni started to work on shock absorbers, sensing that the auto industry was destined to greatness… The approach is the same today, as clean vehicles are looking at a bright and promising future. To refine their products, Koni, represented on the 6th E-Rallye Monte-Carlo by Stéphane Ducreau (Director for France), relies on the experience of Bruno Saby. A “smart” damper is also in the pipes… which will be able to recover the energy generated by friction and the Joule effect! A beautiful project!
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.
