Up-and-coming Frenchman Pierre Campana finished 20th overall and fifth in the Clio R3 Trofeo Italia classification on the all-asphalt Rally del Salento in southern Italy over the weekend.

He was also fourth of the Junior Clio drivers, who are in contention for a prize fund towards the 2011 Junior World Rally Championship. In total 28 Clio R3s started the rally, as well as the Renault Clio Super 1600 driven by Formula One star Robert Kubica.

Pierre, driving a Renault Clio R3 run by the Munaretto team and backed by French simulator company Ellip6, was using the event as a warm-up for the forthcoming Geko Ypres Rally - the latest round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge - that takes place this weekend. Pierre's Renault ran on Pirelli tyres throughout the Italian event, as will be the case in Belgium this weekend as well.

The Rally del Salento, a round of the Italian Rally Championship, featured 12 asphalt stages over a distance of 152.59 kilometres. The start and finish was in Lecce, with a permanent service park at La Conca kart circuit.

Pierre and his co-driver Sabrina de Castelli suffered an early setback when their car developed a clutch problem on Friday morning. However, the Munaretto team did a fantastic job to change the clutch in just 20 minutes, ensuring that Pierre and Sabrina remained in the thick of the action.

"It was a really good experience," said Pierre at the finish. "Our aim on this rally was to prepare ourselves for the Ypres Rally, and we got through all the work that we had done. Although our aim was not to go for a big overall result I'm quite pleased by what we achieved in the end, as the stages were challenging and we had a lot less experience than everyone else. I'd like to thank Ellip6 for their valued support, Pirelli and Munaretto. I think we're well-prepared for Ypres now."

The 25-year-old will be competing in Belgium for the first time, which also counts for the Clio European Trophy where Pierre is currently running fourth.

Corsica-based Campana sprung to prominence when he claimed a podium finish in the Junior World Rally Championship section of the Tour de Corse in 2008. He underlined that potential by claiming second in the IRC 2WD Cup on Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo in January.

For more information:

www.pierrecampana.com
www.quadrasports.com
media@quadrasports.com
www.ellip6.com

20 June, 2010