To coincide with the one year anniversary of the inauguration and launch of the first ever Ellip6 simulation centre at Pierrelatte, which opened on 8 April 2010, we present the first Ellip6 Junior Rallye Team newsletter, which is intended to keep you fully updated with the developments and progress of Ellip6’s rally activities.

Bringing you up to speed...
The brand new Ellip6 Junior Rallye Team got off to a flying start in the opening rally of the year at Le Touquet last month. It has been a busy few months for Ellip6 as they develop this ambitious new rally project from the ground up.

Working alongside experienced rally men Fabrice Morel and Renaud Chazel, Ellip6 has undertaken an intensive selection process of up-and-coming rally drivers to choose the two most versatile and competitive youngsters for the Ellip6 Junior Rallye squad. The two lucky benefactors of Ellip6 support this year are Dorian Nicolas and Kevin Coste, both drivers with a passion for rally and a certain something special in their ability behind the wheel.

Former rally driver and owner of the PPAC rally driving school, Fabrice Morel, and founder of Chazel Technologies, Renaud Chazel, have been instrumental in establishing the Ellip6 Junior Rallye Team in these first months of 2011. With their experience and know-how, the team has worked on developing the Renault Twingo R1 cars to compete in the R1 Trophy in the FFSA supported French Junior Rally Championship.

Meet the Drivers
Dorian Nicolas and Kevin Coste are the first two beneficiaries of Ellip6’s rally initiative. Kevin has just turned 20 years old while Dorian is marginally older at 21. Nonetheless, both drivers have displayed remarkable talent at the wheel of the Renault Twingo R1 and conducted themselves admirably in the rookie selection process, finishing ahead of the six other hopefuls across a range of skills tests, performance and fitness assessments.

Kevin lives in Narbonne and has been rallying since the age of 15 but made the step up to full time rallying in 2010, drawing immediate plaudits for his on-track performances.  Away from the rallies, he works as part of a family run construction business and also enjoys taking part in karting in his spare time. He has also demonstrated a flair for karting with several records to his name.

Rallying has been a passion for Dorian from childhood following the career of his father who took up rally when Dorian was just two. Dorian himself started gaining first-hand rally experience at the age of 13, occasionally acting as co-pilot for his father and uncle during reconnaissance. Away from rallying, Dorian is a keen footballer.

Both drivers, alongside their respective co-pilots, are spearheading the Ellip6 Junior Rallye Team in 2011 and have already justified their inclusion in the team after a successful debut weekend.

Rally Review: Le Touquet
Le Touquet was the first outing for the Ellip6 Junior Team with both Dorian and Kevin easing into the season with a deliberately steady start to the year. Both drivers were set a specific programme which they stuck to rigidly, to the huge satisfaction of the team. Kevin finished the two day, 14 stage event in 13th place in the Twingo R1 class, while Dorian experienced a technical complication on his final stage to drop him down to 15th, having been in contention for the top ten. The cold and wet driving conditions, particularly on the opening day, made for a gruelling start.

The highlight of Dorian’s event was Friday’s third stage, the 15km Airon stage, in which he was second fastest in the class. Kevin’s best individual stage performance came on the shorter penultimate stage Le Touquet, registering a top ten Twingo R1 time. Both drivers impressed the team with their diligence and aptitude, however, and will be looking for further improvements at the next event – Ronde Limousine – at the beginning of June.

Next Events
2-5 June - Ronde Limousine – Rallye Région Limousin Vassivière
7-10 July - Rallye Rouergue Aveyron Midi Pyrénées
1-4 September - Rallye Mont Blanc – Morzine
28 September - 2 October - Rallye de France - Alsace
24 -27 November - Rallye du Var

For more information, please visit: www.juniorteam.ellip6.com, www.ellip6.com or email contact@ellip6.com – media@quadrasports.com