Pierre Ragues has completed the 2018 edition of the popular Rallye de Pont-l'Évêque in a fighting third place, securing his third consecutive podium result in the Normandy event.

 

As part of the Coupe de France des rallyes, the event attracts a competitive field, so Pierre was always going to face a stern test. Despite not competing in a rally since earlier this year, Pierre – alongside co-driver Julien Pesenti – gradually built up confidence in the Skoda Fabia R5 to finish just seven seconds from second place overall.

 

Six stages were run with the opening test, the 4.26km Maneville-La Pipard run, taking place on Saturday evening. A braking issue caused Pierre to go wide and stall the engine but he was still able to set the fourth best time.

 

Still, his perseverance paid off and he steadily made his way up the field on the repeat loop. A strong finish to the rally saw him move up into third place on the penultimate run and then claim the second fastest time in the last competitive stage.  

Pierre commented: “This was a tricky event for me, so I am pleased to have finished on the podium for the third time in a row at this rally. It took a lot longer than I expected to find the required rhythm, as I had been away from rallying since April. Once I found my confidence, I was able to get good performance from the Skoda Fabia R5 and the Michelin tyres to set some representative stage times. After some issues in the opening stages, to finish just seven seconds from second place at the end was pretty good. As always, thanks to my partners at GroupAuto, Sparco, Ellip6 and Yacco, as well as to Julien. We are now looking forward to another rally next weekend, Rallye du Médoc, a new event for me.”   

 

Rallye du Médoc takes place over 8 and 9 December, covering six special stages. Two stages (Couquèques - Saint-Christoly 5.7km and Saint-Seurin-Saint-Germain 7.5km) will each be run three times for a total distance of 39.6km.