Pierre Ragues has taken his fourth rally win of the 2017 season, as he triumphed by 38.4 seconds in today’s Rallye de Pont l’Evêque, part of the Coupe de France des Rallyes.

 

Against tough competition and in slippery conditions after overnight rain, Pierre took three out of four stage wins on the way to a dominant win. Getting off to a steady start on the opening 7.91km stage, the Caen-born ace was just 1.6 seconds from the stage leader.

 

Finding a good rhythm inside the cockpit of his Ford Fiesta R5, Pierre – alongside co-driver Julien Pesenti – set about picking up the pace. He went on to claim wins in the final three stages.

 

SS2, the longer 10.6km stage, saw Pierre move into a 7.9s lead, never looking back. He added a further 12.2s advantage on SS3 and 10.7s on the rally’s final test, to secure an impressive win.

 

Having won the same event twelve months ago, Pierre has now taken consecutive victories in the rally.

 

Pierre said: “We wanted to end the season in style and we certainly did that today. The conditions were not easy, with some rain on Saturday night making the stages slippery. Still, Julien and I were able to get a good feeling in the Ford Fiesta R5 and to assert our control on the rally. We started with a closely fought opening stage, to get to grips with the conditions. The performance of the car gave me the confidence to push in the final three stages, and we moved into the lead, and then extended it to a good margin. It’s been the ideal end to the year for me, and I’d like to send thanks and best wishes to everyone who has supported me. From my personal partners Sparco, Group Auto, Top Garage, Yacco and Ellip6 to all of the race and rally fans around the world. We now look towards 2018 where I am sure an exciting chapter awaits.”