French racer Pierre Ragues has continued his impressive run of rally form with a fine result in this weekend’s Rallye du Touquet, the opening round of the French Rally Championship.

 

At the helm of his Michelin-equipped Citroën DS3 R5, Ragues demonstrated good progress throughout the 16 stage rally, tackling tricky conditions in his first ever participation in the event to finish seventh overall and third in the R5 class. The result also saw Ragues take second in the highly regarded Michelin Trophy. 

 

The 31-year-old and his co-driver Tibo Gorczyca, worked professionally with the Racing Service team taking each stage as it came and focusing on finding improvements as the rally progressed. Conditions remained dry over both days but the stages were challenging and slippery as gravel was brought onto the road. 

 

With a number of blind apexes and corners, Pierre’s lack of experience proved a disadvantage against the stiff competition. Nonetheless, it was a valuable learning experience for the Frenchman as he built up confidence in himself and the car over the two days.

 

A spin in Saturday’s morning’s SS9 caused the engine to stall, losing him time, but he got back into the rhythm quickly to complete the stage. An intercom issue then emerged in SS10, restricting communication with his co-driver but still he brought his car to the end of the stage safely. Completing this tough event was the main objective for Ragues but to do so in a solid seventh place underlined his rally credentials.

 

The next rally for Ragues will be Rally Lyon Charbonnières in April.

 

Pierre Ragues said: “This tough rally has been a very useful learning experience for me. We had some nice weather conditions but the stages were still slippery and often with gravel that had been dragged onto the roads. This made driving quite a challenge at times, especially with the added challenge of some blind corners and apexes. We had a spin and an engine stall in SS9 this morning, as well as a small issue with the intercom in the stage after, but other than that it’s been fine. The car has been fantastic, the Michelin tyres also performed well, and it’s been another great opportunity to work with the Racing Service team and with my co-driver Tibo. It’s easy to make a mistake in this rally, so I’m happy to finish the event – particularly for my first time taking part. To finish on the R5 podium is an added bonus. As ever, thanks to my supporters Group Auto, Top Garage, Sparco and Ellip6. It’s another great addition to my growing list of rallies – and I look forward to the next one at Lyon Charbonnières!”