Since its 2021 launch, the Clio Trophy France Terre has developed into a breeding ground for talent in the French Gravel Rally Championship. In the sixth season of the Clio Rally5 era, the trophy returns to Rallye Terre des Cardabelles for a decisive showdown for the crown between the three competitors still in the running.

The final battle

Alexandre Brossy and Sébastien Enjalbert head to the season finale with a 27-point lead over their nearest rivals. Leaders from the season’s first special stage at Rallye Castine Terre d’Occitanie, the pair saw victory slip through their fingers in that opening round. Still, they bounced back brilliantly at Rallye Terre des Causses. While they now hold the advantage, they know they must remain in complete control to secure the title.

Facing them, Julien Malta and Jorian Ponomareff are far from done. Following their success at the season opener, the Sarrazin Motorsport pair finished fifth in the Causses. They will aim to combine speed and consistency to regain the upper hand in the season-ending event. Third at Castine, then fourth in the Causses, Loïc Sanchez and Hervé Lapeyre are still in the running, but will have to give it their all and deliver a near-perfect performance on home soil to succeed. They will be all the more determined to make amends on the Aveyron tracks after retiring early last year.

Outsiders ready to seize their chance

Every result matters, and the contenders must also keep an eye on the Jean Ragnotti Performer classification. Up to five points will be awarded to the best-performing drivers on each of the ten special stages, adding extra pressure to every run. The slightest mistake could therefore prove decisive in the season’s outcome, and a few crews have serious intentions.

Third in the Causses, Romain Sagnes and Frédéric Vincent (Fun Meca Sport) will be back on home ground, aiming for the sharp end once again. With Axel Daclin now sitting alongside him, Damien Buisson will also return, keen to improve on his eight-place finish in the previous round while continuing to learn the ropes behind the wheel of a Clio Rally5.

Hungry and well-prepared returnees

Several competitors will make their season debut and will therefore be ineligible for points. Among the familiar faces, Johan Grès will be joined by Cécile Pagès as they aim to shine on home turf. They will come up against the Truchet family in particular, against whom he battled for the Clio Full Challenge title last year. Whilst Barbara Truchet retains her place in the right-hand seat, her husband Christophe hands over the wheel to their son Enzo, who will make his Clio Trophy France Terre debut after two class podium finishes in three rally starts.

Other locals Gaël and Marion Alquier return to the trophy’s service park for the first time since the 2022 Cardabelles event. The couple intend to use their knowledge of the terrain to deliver a strong performance, with the support of Saillat Loc, whose director, Yohan, secured a podium finish in the Causses. Gaël Bertrand and Fabien Adenot share this objective after triumphing on these stages in the R2J class in 2023, as do Lucas and Sandrine Aymard (JS Autosports), who finished in the top five in the French Junior Rally Championship in 2021. Grégory Scotto La Chianca teams with Florian Chardon after narrowly missing a top-ten result on debut in the Clio Trophy France Terre last year.

Lastly, Julien Ingrassia enters Rallye Terre des Cardabelles, two decades after his last appearance. As co-driver to an eight-time World Rally Champion, he had previously competed in Clio Rally5 at Rallye Terre de Lozère in 2023, where he finished 15th. Following an appearance in this season’s Alpine A290 Rally Trophy, highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the e-Rallye Vosges Grand Est with Emma Bonnemort, he reunites with her at David Auto Compétition, led by Olivier David, one of his former mechanics in the WRC. His friend Boris Moulaire will also be a part of this sporting and personal adventure. Maëlle Casays, a winning co-driver in Clio Trophy France Terre last year at Rallye Terre de Vaucluse, will be in the right-hand seat.

Talent will be the decider

This season again, the Clio Trophy France Terre offers unparalleled support at this level of the sport while maintaining its core principles. It ensures fairness, both sporting and technical, and provides competitors with a personal engineer, giving them a structured environment in which to progress and realise their potential.

The Rallye Terre des Cardabelles, renowned for its unforgiving terrain, will be contested over ten special stages. On Saturday, three stages will be run twice on the tracks of the Causse du Larzac, followed by two identical loops comprising two timed sections in the Sévéragais region. Six crews will also compete in their Clio Rally3 at round six of the French Gravel Rally Championship.

Entry list
#35 Alexandre Brossy – Sébastien Enjalbert
#36 Grégory Scotto La Chianca – Florian Chardon
#37 Julien Malta – Jorian Ponomareff
#38 Johan Grès – Cécile Pagès
#39 Julien Ingrassia – Emma Bonnemort
#40 Loïc Sanchez – Hervé Lapeyre
#41 Lucas Aymard – Sandrine Aymard Boix
#42 Romain Sagnes – Frédéric Vincent
#43 Gaël Alquier – Marion Alquier
#44 Gaël Bertrand – Fabien Adenot
#45 Boris Moulaire – Maëlle Casays
#46 Enzo Truchet – Barbara Truchet
#48 Damien Buisson – Axel Daclin