Clio Cup Series

The Clio Cup Series delivered an action-packed round two of the season. Alexandre Finkelstein and Gaël Castelli triumphed in two spectacular battles at Circuit Paul Ricard. At the same time, Guillaume Maio and Andreas Stucki took top honours in Clio Cup France. Junior driver Damiano Puccetti, Challengers Ben Colburn and Aurélien Renet, and Gentleman driver Horn also came up winners. The competitors now await their next clashes at Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours (29–31 May).

More information here.

World Rally Championship

Clio Rally4 and Clio Rally5 starred at the Rally Islas Canarias. Alejandro Martín and Armando Rivero took top honours in RC4 and were joined on the class podium by fellow Clio Rally4 competitors Nicolás Castellano and Gerardo Caballero. Meanwhile, Pedro Peñate and Fátima Toledo scored Clio Rally5’s 32nd RC5 victory on the world stage. Santiago Pérez and Benito Sacramento finished in the top five of WRC3 in their Clio Rally3.

Belgian Rally Championship

Round three of the Belgian calendar, the Rallye de Wallonie saw another 1-2 finish for Clio Rally3, with Thibaud Mazuin and Samuel Maillen taking victory ahead of Xavier Dekeyser and Nele Tassaert in RC3. The latter pair also finished second in the Master Cup. Clio Rally5 also impressed on the special stages around Jambes, with the duo of David Dardenne and Didier Peeters securing victory in RC5.

Croatian Rally Championship

The range excelled at Rally Poreč. Germany’s Robby Fechner and Florian Pitzk secured a class podium finish and a top 10 result in the Mitropa Cup with Clio Rally3. Croatians Marko Fakin and Aleksandar Radovčić took podium places in the TER 2WD and CEZ3 categories in their Clio Rally4. Their compatriots Nenad Hrvatin and Doris Labinjan scored a class victory in their Clio Rally5, as did Slovenians Rene Černigoj and Blaž Gerbec in the TER Junior class.

Czech Republic Rally Championship

Clio Rally5 got off to a successful start to the season on the Czech stages, winning its class at the Šumava Klatovy Rally. Victorious in RC5, Martin and František Končal also finished in the top ten in the two-wheel drive category, just ahead of Michal Havránek and Jiří Jevický Jr’s Clio Rally4. In contention for the podium in RC3, Jan Schmied and Pavel Kacerovský unfortunately retired.

German & Dutch Rally Championships

At the ADAC Rallye Sulingen, a shared round for German and Dutch competitors, the German duo of Timo and Jasmin Weigert won in RC3 with Clio Rally3. The Dutch crew of Leo Kurstjens and Theo Dijkmans secured a double podium finish for the model. Clio Rally4 also had cause to celebrate, with Felix Schumann and Gino Kruhs finishing runner-up in RC4, whilst Nils Hildebrandt and Giuliana Beck took the RC5 laurels in their Clio Rally5.

Greek Gravel Rally Championship

Clio Rally3 secured another victory at Rally Stereas Elladas. Cypriots Petros Panteli and Antonis Chrysostomou won two of the six special stages to triumph in the RC3 category. Efthimios Halkias and Marios Tsaoussoglou also claimed two stage wins in the class. Andreas Psaltis and Andreas Chrysostomou (Clio Rally3) and Giorgos Dodos and Nikos Intzoglou (Clio Rally5) were less successful and retired on the Greek soil.

Hungarian and Slovakian Rally Championship

The opening round of the Slovakian Championship and round two of the Hungarian Championship, the Rosenberg Rally Moldava saw the Clio Rally3 set the pace in the RC3 class with the Hungarian duo Csaba Viszló and Miklós Maricsek. Clio Rally4 secured a double podium finish in the two-wheel-drive category with the Slovakian pair of Tomáš Polovka and Daniel Turcsányi, and Maroš Kysucký and Peter Buschbacher. Meanwhile, Clio Rally5 dominated its class with Stanislav Zeman and Ján Konfal.

Polish Rally Championship

Clio Rally3 won at the Rajd Świdnicki, the Polish Rally Championship opening round. Michał Chorbiński and Adam Chrzanowski won their class by nearly two minutes whilst finishing sixth overall on the tarmac stages. Clio Rally4 also did well, finishing second in the two-wheel-drive category with Sergiusz Janowski and Krzysztof Grzenia.

Romanian Rally Championship

Clio Rally5 secured a double podium result at round two of the season, the Raliul Harghitei. Finishing third behind Ciprian Lupu and Andrei Aițculesei’s Renault, Sabina Alexandra Ghiormescu and Sándor Csikós claimed victory in round two of the Clio Rally5 Challenge, which continues to be led by Dragoș Munteanu and Marina Larisa Ciobotea despite their rollover in the second special stage of the event.

Uruguayan Rally Championship

The fifth generation of Renault Clio delivered a resounding overall top-five sweep in round two of the Uruguayan championship at the Rally of Durazno. Luigi Contin and Cecilia Cedres took victory on the gravel stages with Clio Rally4, joined on the podium by Pablo Cuadrado – Gonzalo Martinez and Jorge Alfaro – Pablo Bieito, both competing in Clio Rally5 and leading the RC4N category.

French Rally Cup

Clio Rally3 made a strong showing in France. Fabrice Martin and Romain Gavoye secured an overall podium result, leading a 1-2 finish in class at Rallye de la Luronne. Clio Rally5 also won there with Allan and Adeline Grandclaude while Sylvain Fouteret and Christophe Bertrand took an class podium finish in their Clio Rally4.

Additionally, Laurent Gonzales and Caroline Simon (Clio Rally3), as well as Benjamin Zecchini and Denis Zecchini (Clio Rally5), claimed victories at Rallye de Drap. Sébastien and Élodie Gonzales also led Clio Rally6 to the podium in FR6. Meanwhile, Yohan Valencony and Amaury D’Ambrosio excelled at Rallye du Bassin Annonéen. Frédéric and Valérie Misiek’s Clio Rally4 also reached the podium.

At the regional level, Clio Rally4 and Clio Rally5 won at Rallye de la Guirlande with Laurent Zambon - Amélie Zambon and Noah Faucher - Sylvie Chapuis, whilst Clio Rally6 secured a podium finish with Jimmy and Honorine Godeau. The same double class win was achieved by Anthony Dujardin - Angela Feuray and Florian Alemany - Néo Rivallant at Rallye Cœur de Lion.

And elsewhere

In Italy, Rally Città di Modena featured 12 Clio Rally3 crews. Among them, Giacomo Guglielmini and Andrea Sarti finished in the top ten overall and won the Rally3 class, as did Riccardo Verbilli and Simone Raggioli with Clio Rally5 in Rally5. The latter car was also victorious with Antonio Passaseo and Mattia Gravante at Rally Città di Casarano.

Both models proved equally competitive in Denmark. Round two of the Dansk Rally Sprint Cup Vest saw Clio Rally3 finish just off the overall podium with Kim Abildgaard and Svend Aage Nielsen, whilst Jacob Pallesen led a Clio Rally5 sweep of the top four.

In Spain, Clio Rally4 shone with a victory for Tomás Minguella and Miquel Bartés in the Catalan Championship at Ral.li Ciutat de Valls, and a podium finish for Imanol Mendiguchía and Lorenzo Fernández at round one of the Cantabrian Championship at the Rallye Ciudad Castro-Urdiales.