Clio Ice Trophy

Title holder Antonio Otero (Puzzle Motor) became the third different driver to win in as many rounds contested this season in the Clio Ice Trophy. The Spaniard ran the table at the Pas de la Casa Circuit, scoring maximum intermediate points in Q2 and winning the B Final ahead of Thomas Leal (Team Dufas) and Joaquin Rodrigo (Brunet Competition). Baptiste Panissié (WRM/SRD), his closest challenger in the general classification, nevertheless remained in contention with victory in the A Final ahead of Juan Manuel Grigera (Driveland) and Alex Queralto (Brunet Competition). Antonio Otero now has a six-point lead over his rival. The two men and Juan Manuel Grigera will battle for the crown in the final round on 1 February.

Clio Cup Middle East

Five-time winner in the first six races of the calendar in Dubai, Harry Hannam (ECBX Motorsport) kept his momentum at the Yas Marina Circuit. With a double pole on the Emirati track, the Briton won both races within a few hours of each other. With the Challengers category title now sealed, Harry Hannam increased his lead and could claim the overall crown at the next meeting on the same track from 31 January to 2 February. In the Gentlemen category, it is all to play for between Ivan Tverdohlebov (Continental Racing) and Youssef Gaber (Uniq Racing), both of whom finished on the podium last weekend.

And elsewhere

Ten Clio Rally3s were in action at the SM-ralli Kuopio, the opening round of the Finnish Rally Championship. Takumi Matsushita and Pekka Kelander won the SM2 class and finished seventh overall. They won by 7.5s ahead of Henri Altomaa and Jussi Kärpijoki, while Pekka Keski-Korsu and Hannu Lamminen completed the Clio Rally3 hat-trick in the class. After their victorious debut in Clio Rally3, the Japanese driver and his Finnish co-driver will compete in the Arctic Lapland Rally, followed by the Rally Sweden.

Coming up

This week, all eyes are on the Monte-Carlo Rally. Two official Renault Clio Rally3s will line up to kick off the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship season. Matteo Chatillon and Maxence Cornuau, runners-up in the WRC3 in 2024, have big ambitions, while Lény Cols and Pascal Lopes will make their debut on this motor racing monument thanks to their Junior title in Clio Trophy Belgium. Other Clio Rally3s driven by Arthur Pelamourgues, Yanis Desangles, Éric Royère, Julien Bréchet and Jean-Baptiste Daune will also be present, as will six Clio Rally5s entrusted to Julien Saunier, Julien Charnay, Romain Auvert, Lilian Vialle, Christophe Truchet and Sébastien Mattei.