Valais: A highlight at the end of the season 🎥
SWISS AGAINST FOREIGNERS The 60th Rallye du Valais will start as early as Thursday. Thanks to two European predicates, the last SM run is well staffed internationally. The favorite among the Swiss is Olivier Burri in the Skoda Fabia. The teaser with scenes from last year's race whets the appetite for a visit to Switzerland's biggest motorsport event. This year, three daily stages are on [...]
The teaser with scenes from last year's race whets the appetite for a visit to Switzerland's biggest motorsport event. This year, three daily stages are on the program, which will demand everything from the participants right from the start.
Driving without championship pressure
The anticipation for the Valais rally finale is great. 16 cars in the top R5 class are entered, including seven from abroad. They will be joined by star guest Ken Block from the USA. The American, who was invited by Ford, will entertain the fans with his drifting skills in the supporting program.
Because the Swiss rally championship has already been decided since the Rally del Ticino, the "Valais" can be enjoyed to the heart's content. Tactical driving is not in the foreground for most of the 89 participants (19 of them in the historic category VHC), not even for Ivan Ballinari, who is already the champion. The man from Ticino and his Swiss colleagues want above all to look good in comparison with the foreigners and put themselves in the limelight accordingly.
Olivier Burri in the role of favorite
If it were up to the statistics, old master Olivier Burri is clearly to be favored. The man from the Jura has already won the RIV eight times. The last time was in 2006 - on a Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Interestingly, Burri is under a certain amount of pressure. Because none of the overall winners from 2007 to 2018 is on the grid, only he can prevent there being a new winner. With a Skoda Fabia R5, as driven by ten other teams (including Ballinari), he has optimum material.
Olivier Burri: "I'm fully motivated. For me, winning the Rallye du Valais is like winning the Swiss championship. This rally has a top standard. When I drove at the Rally Monte Carlo this year, I sat at the table with the best in the world. And every one of them raved about the RIV."
Toedtli for the first time in the VW Polo
While the 56-year-old Burri is only competing in the "Valais", the 25-year-old Jérémie Toedtli has already competed in the Rallye du Chablais this season. There, the man from Neuchâtel finished second behind winner Sébastien Carron, who will be absent in the Valais. However, Toedtli drove a Skoda Fabia R5 at that time. At the "Valais" he will take his seat in a VW Polo GTI R5 for the first time.
Jérémie Toedtli: ""I'm honored to be counted among the favorites. But I probably won't be able to say how great my chances really are until Wednesday after the first test in the new car. Beating Burri will certainly be difficult."
Pass ride in the dark
Mike Coppens has a home advantage. Like veteran Olivier Burri, the 40-year-old from the team of three-time Valais winner Philippe Roux knows the routes very well. Especially on the third SS "Croix de Coeur", a 20 kilometer long special stage (partly gravel) in the dark on Thursday evening, which leads up to 2265 meters, the Skoda driver should have advantages.
Salomon or Burri runner-up?
The question of who will take the runner-up title is still open. Jean-Marc Salomon in the only Ford Fiesta R5 has the best cards. Alongside Ivan Ballinari, the all-rounder from the Jura is the only top driver who has not only completed all the rallies but has also always scored points. His lead over Michael Burri is 33 points. Olivier's son, who won an SM classification for the first time two years ago in Valais, must therefore finish second at the minimum to catch up with Salomon.
Thomas Schmid is back
Behind the top 3, Jonathan Michellod is currently still in 4th place - tied on points with Ismaël Vuistiner. While Michellod has already won the Junior classification early, Vuistiner is still fighting for the title in the Renault Clio R3T Alps Trophy with Frenchman Styve Juif. Thomas Schmid, the 2018 Junior Champion, will also be competing in the RIV for the first time this year.
Rally center in the barracks Sion
Things get underway in the Valais on Thursday with the shakedown from 1 p.m. on the barracks site in Sion, where the rally center is located and the start of the first stage takes place from 4 p.m. onwards. Two spectator stages will take place on the Sion circuit on Friday from 11.15 am and 4.25 pm. There will be a number of show acts before, in between and afterwards.
A total of 18 stages are on the program. More than 200 kilometers have to be covered in the three days.
