Although Miguel Antunes is expected to compete in the second round of the Iberia area trophy, Fran Cima and João Correia lined up at the start of the opening round, the Rallye Internacional Rías Baixas. Fran Cima wasted no time in grabbing the category lead, increasing his advantage as the crews completed more and more stages. As the rally moved into the closing stages, he grabbed the lead in the R3 class. He went on to secure victory after a controlled performance, taking the 25 points for the win, plus 5 points for the most stage wins, finishing ahead of João Correia (18), runner-up in the R3 at this round. The next round in the Iberia area is Rallye Ourense (13-14 June).

Having started earlier, the Italy area was already holding its third round this weekend. At Rally Targa Florio, Luca Rossetti got off to an excellent start, ahead of Giacomo Scattolon, who unfortunately had to retire on SS4. Ivan Ferrarotti therefore moved up into second place, whilst Fabrizio Andolfi brought up the rear. The order remained unchanged throughout the event, Luca Rossetti even managing the impressive feat of moving up to fourth overall, whilst winning the R3 and two-wheel drive categories. Ivan Ferrarotti and Fabrizio Andolfi completed the R3 podium. In the championship standings, Rossetti became the new leader (90 points) ahead of Ferrarotti (83) and Andolfi (69).

The previous weekend, Rallye du Chablais marked the second round of the ALPS area trophy. Having already won at the Critérium Jurassien, Michaël Burri repeated the feat. Initially battling with Olivier Courtois, he saw the Alsace driver forced to retire after hitting a rock on SS2. He ended up winning, ahead of Jean-Pierre Gatti and Toni Buemi, whilst also finishing as runner-up in R3. The result meant he moved clear at the top of the overall standings with 60 points, ahead of Gatti (33), Courtois (24) and Buemi (15).

Since its first competitive outing in 2014, Renault Clio R3T has established itself as the benchmark in the two-wheel drive category. The latest car to roll out of Renault Sport Technologies’ Customer Racing workshops has secured an impressive 24 R3 class wins since its official launch at the 2014 Rallye Mont Blanc. Clio R3T has finished first at many legendary and competitive events, such as the Rallye du Var, Rallye du Valais, Rallye du Condroz, Rallye du Touquet, Rallye de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Rally Sanremo and Rallye Lyon-Charbonnières. An increasingly large number of drivers are putting their faith in Clio R3T, reflecting its performance and reliability. Renault Sport Technologies is delighted with the success achieved thus far and would like to thank all the crews that have chosen Clio R3T.

Forthcoming Clio R3T European Trophy rallies :
13-14 June : Rallye Ourense (Iberia)
19-21 June : Rallye National de Bretagne (France)
26-27 June : Rallye d’Ypres (Belgium)
26-27 June : Rallye Ronde del Ticino (ALPS)
26-27 June : Rallye Vidrero-Central (Iberia)

More information about the Clio R3T European Trophy is available on the Renaultsport.com website.