French racing star Pierre Ragues has continued to demonstrate a natural ability in the competitive rallying environment as he stormed to a fantastic second place in this weekend’s Rallye du Coutancais, part of the FFSA Coupe de France des Rallyes.

 

Ragues, who was partnered by his father Marcel as co-driver, showed a supremely fast pace in the one-day event, which culminated in his second rally podium in just his second rally event. 

 

At the wheel of a Skoda Fabia S2000, Pierre attacked the four loops of two stages with vigour and determination, establishing a two second lead by the halfway point. Weather conditions and tyre choices proved to be the determining factors in the two final loops but Pierre was able to secure second place following a fiercely competitive fight.

 

The tyre choice for the third loops proved to be too soft and lost the Ragues duo ten seconds while damp conditions in the final loop prevented them from regaining the lead. The first of the two stages in the final loop was dry while the second was damp: Pierre adopted a radically different strategy to the other competitors but a late thunderstorm hindered progress. 

 

Nonetheless, Pierre has shown his natural rally talent once more and this latest podium result will undoubtedly give the Frenchman cause to consider more rally events in the future.

 

Pierre Ragues said: “I have definitely caught the rally bug! That was a fun event and it was incredible to take a second consecutive podium. We were right on the pace and were able to lead the event at the halfway point. The third loop was slightly more tricky because we opted to run a tyre that was too soft so we lost some time. In the final loop, we decided to gamble with the strategy because the conditions were variable. Unfortunately, we lost out when the late rain shower arrived so we took it cautiously to guarantee our second place, which was still a fantastic result! It was a joy to drive the Skoda Fabia S2000 again with my father as co-driver. The team did a great job and the event was a full rally experience with tyres, pace notes system and night driving. I couldn’t be happier and I am hoping this will lead to more rally opportunities in the future, because I am thoroughly enjoying it.”