Pays du Gier: Ballinari keeps the upper hand 🎥
SM-AUFTAKT Champion Ivan Ballinari won the first duel against returnee Grégoire Hotz in France. Michaël Burri in third place ensured a triple Swiss Skoda victory. After the accident of local hero David Salanon, who was leading until the fifth special stage, the strongest Swiss with their identical Skoda Fabia R5 were in the fight for the overall victory at the 30th Rally Pays [...]
After the accident of local hero David Salanon, who was leading until the fifth special stage, the strongest Swiss with their identical Skoda Fabia R5 were among themselves in the fight for the overall victory at the 30th Rally Pays du Gier. Almost two years after his last start, Grégoire began the first stage with two special stages on Friday evening in the St-Etienne area with two fourth-best times before recording the first best time on SS3 on Saturday morning.
Hotz turns up the heat on the second day
With the second fastest time in the sixth of eight tests, the man from Neuchâtel snatched the lead from Ivan Ballinari, who had been leading after Salinon's retirement. This tempted the reigning champion from Ticino out of his reserve by recording the fastest time on the last two stages.
Ballinari and his new co-driver Marco Menchini relegated their rivals to second place by just 3.6 seconds. The fact that the eight-time Swiss rally champion is already back on a par with the R5 routiniers promises plenty of excitement for the Critérium Jurassien.
Ivan Ballinari: "It was very close, but for me a very special victory against my idol Grégoire Hotz, whom I have admired since I was a boy. I hope that this successful start will bring us one or two more sponsors for the rest of the season."
Looking forward to the Critérium Jurassien
The first rally of 2019 on Swiss soil on April 13/14 is also the home race of Michaël Burri, who won it last year. At the Pays du Gier, the Bernese-Jurassian was only able to beat all competitors on the 18-kilometer SS5. After choosing tires that were too soft for the final loop, Burri and his French pro co-driver Anderson Levratti finished third overall, just under 20 seconds behind Hotz/Ravasi.
The following video shows some nice sequences of the Burri/Levratti ride:
https://www.facebook.com/Andersonlevratti/videos/2335171263427810/
Coppens and Schneeberger accidents
The other Swiss R5 drivers did not play a major role in the awarding of the podium places. Behind two other Skoda Fabia from French teams, Jean-Marc Salomon ran in sixth position in the private Ford Fiesta R5.
Mike Coppens and co-driver Christophe Roux were in a safe fourth place before he threw his Skoda out of the race on the last stage and demolished it badly. Fortunately, the crew was not injured. After a third and fifth time, Steeves Schneeberger also went off the right track in the first SS of Saturday morning, whereupon he retired with the rear of his Fiesta pressed in.
Class wins for Juif, Michellod and Valliccioni
Ismaël Vuistiner in the Renault Clio R3T took fifth place in the Swiss classification. In the Clio R3T Alps Trophy, however, it was only enough for second place behind the Frenchman Styve Juif.
In the Junior-SM, last year's runner-up Jonathan Michellod won relatively clearly against Sacha Althaus with a final sprint, 27 seconds ahead, after the difference had once been only six seconds. Third place went to Guillaume Girolamo, all on Peugeot 208 R2.
The VHC classification of the older rally cars was dominated by Marc Valliccioni from Corsica, competing with a Swiss license in a BMW M3. His brand colleague Eddy Bérard was clearly beaten, four minutes behind. Third place went to Edy Schorno in a Ford Escort Mk1.
