Clio Cup Middle East

Nineteen drivers were present for the start of season two of the Clio Cup Middle East at Yas Marina Circuit. Pole sitter for race one, Eduardo Miranda (Uniq Racing) was beaten by Stanislav Novikov (Continental Racing) and Francesco Miotto (Progetto E20 Motorsport). The Mexican got his revenge, beating Paolo Maria Silvestrini (Progetto E20 Motorsport) in race two under the lights. Following the disqualification of Stanislav Novikov, Challenger Eduardo Miranda takes the lead in the general classification ahead of Francesco Miotto and Ilya Sidorov (Continental Racing), the leader in the Gentlemen’s category after sharing the victories in this class with Alex Renner (ARMotors) this weekend.

Watch the races here and here.

Clio Trophy Portugal

Hot on the heels of the Portuguese Two-Wheel Drive Rally Championship won by Gonçalo Henriques in his Clio Rally4, Renault Portugal and Driveland Events - promoter of the four Clio Trophies organised in Spain - announced the imminent launch of Clio Trophy Portugal. Like in other countries, the trophy dedicated to Clio Rally5 will serve as a springboard for ambitious young drivers while also being open to more experienced competitors. The calendar, a mix of asphalt and gravel rounds, will be announced shortly.

More information here.

And elsewhere

All three versions of the Clio Rally were victorious in the French Rally Cup. The three models won at the Rallye du Médoc with Fabien and Antoine Senamaud in Clio Rally3, Frédéric Meurant and Kévin Aumeunier in Clio Rally4 and Axel Guibert and Michaël Murzeau in Clio Rally5. Clio Rally3 also won its category with Fabrice Martin and Karine Grandclair on the Rallye de Balagne, as did Clio Rally5 with Marc Pompei and Enzo Mahinc. Another double win came at the Dévoluy Rally with the Clio Rally3 of Damien Oberti and Jean-François Gastinel and the Clio Rally5 of Jérémy Jamet and Marine Journet. Clio Rally5 also won at the Rallye des 1000 km de La Réunion with Jean-Christophe Olivar and Marine Bellon.

In Italy, Paolo Moricci and Paolo Garavaldi won in their Clio Rally 4 on the Rally della Fettunta, as were Gianandrea Pisani and Elena Neri in their Clio Rally 5. Roberto Mignani and Gianluca De Clò won on the Rally di Natale in their Clio Rally 5, as did Valeriano Bellinzoni and Samanta Grossi in the Pavia Rally Circuit. Omar Bouvier and Renzo Fraschia once again demonstrated the versatility of Clio Rally5, leading a sweep of the top eight places on the gravel stages of the Prealpi Master Show. Meanwhile, Fernando Castaedo Conde and Luciano Menéndez González led Clio Rally5 to group victory on Rally Cangas del Narcea (Spain), and Tuncer and Asena Sancakli won their class and finished second in the two-wheel drive category on the Kocaeli Rallisi, where Burcu Çetinkaya (Clio Rally3) and Eda Soylu (Clio Rally5) scored a 1-2 among the Women for the Turkish Championship season-finale.

Across the Atlantic, Emiliano and Diego Retama once again excelled on home soil, taking their Clio Rally5 to second overall on Rally Puebla (Mexico), a week after giving Renault its third consecutive FIA NACAM Junior title on Rally Colima. Uruguayan Ignacio Gardiol and Argentinean Ruben Garcia finished sixth in class and sixth overall in their Clio Rally4 on the Rally de Osorno to conclude their Chilean Rally Championship campaign.