Pierre Ragues will be returning to the cockpit of his Citroën DS3 R5 at this weekend’s 54th Rallye le Touquet Pas-de-Calais, for his second rally event of the season. The event will mark the start of the French Rally Championship and it will be Pierre’s debut participation in the popular rally.

 

31-year-old Pierre has had a busy start to his 2015 season, as he embarks on a versatile season in both rally and the World Endurance Championship. His first rally event of the year – Rallye de la Côte Fleurie last month – resulted in the French ace taking a spectacular podium and class victory. 

 

Alongside his new co-driver Tibo Gorczyca, Ragues will be hoping to once compete at the sharp end of the standings against some tough competition in the 14-stage Le Touquet event. 

 

Working with the Racing Service team, Ragues will contest two days of seven stages, with a total stage distance of 203.7km. The event gets underway on Friday with the 12.56km Camiers-Longvilliers stage which acts as the first of a repeat loop of three stages on the first day, either side of a short 2.3km stage at Le Touquet Front de Mer. 

 

Saturday will also see three stages repeated as a morning and afternoon loop with the event’s grand finale again along the seafront. It will act as another valuable learning experience for Ragues in the competitive rally world.

 

Pierre Ragues commented: “Following the fantastic event that we had at Rallye de la Côte Fleurie just a few weeks ago, I am pleased to be returning to the world of rally so quickly. This event will have added gravitas as the opening event of the French Rally Championship and my first time in this particular rally - but I feel ready for the challenge. It looks to be a nice event with 14 stages and some great scenery, so I am looking forward to seeing what Tibo and I can do in the Citroën DS3 R5. Once again, we will have the support of the Racing Service team, which is invaluable, as well as Top Garage, Group Auto, Sparco and with help from simulation company Ellip6. It promises to be a fun two days and my aim is continue from where we left off at the last event.”