Alpine Elf Rally Trophy, act 3!

• • After two exciting first editions, the Alpine Elf Rallye Trophy launches its third season this week at the Rallye Rhône Charbonnières.

• • Still organized as part of the French Rally Championship, the competition will welcome a record field of twelve crews starting this weekend.

  • Both titled in 2022, Grégory Fontalba and Fabrice Bect will put their crowns on the line in a service park that is more challenging and qualitative than ever.

Created in the wake of the debut of the Alpine A110 Rally, the Alpine Elf Rally Trophy has since 2021 offered a framework dedicated to experienced drivers, young hopefuls and gentlemen in search of pleasure on the most beautiful special stages in France. A symbol of Alpine’s reaffirmed commitment to rallying, a discipline in which the brand opened its ranks in the World Championship in 1973, the Alpine Elf Rallye Trophy enjoyed immediate success, becoming essential in the French motorsport landscape.

New features from the Alpine Elf Rallye Trophy in 2023

Building on the success of this aspect of their customer competition activities, Alpine and Signature are renewing the Alpine Elf Rallye Trophy for a third edition. Always anticipating the needs of competitors, the organizers have nevertheless decided to make some adjustments to consolidate the growing attractiveness of the Alpine A110 Rally.

Among these, a new class will appear with the Challenger category, reserved for competitors born in 1974 or later, being excluded from the FIA and FFSA priority drivers and running on commercial gasoline. Pilots born previously and meeting the same criteria will compete in the “Gentlemen” class, while crews using competition fuel will only be able to claim the general classification.

At the same time, the calendar remains composed of six rounds echoing the rich history of Alpine. After the start of the Rallye Rhône Charbonnières, the crews will head to the Rallye Antibes Côte d’Azur and the Rallye Aveyron Rouergue Occitanie before the summer break. After the start of the Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine, the competitors will meet at the Rallye Cœur de France, then at the Rallye du Var for the grand finale.

A platform more open than ever

Successor to Julien Saunier on the Alpine Elf Rallye Trophy prize list, Grégory Fontalba will make his return to launch the defense of his crown this weekend.

After three victories in six starts during his victorious campaign, the defending champion will be keen to double the stakes by having an even more successful season, but he knows that the competition will be waiting for him around the corner. Among his rivals, we will notably cite his runner-up Fabrice Bect, winner of the last round at Var and crowned among the Gentlemen in 2022. The list of contenders will however be long since the two men will find Romuald Lamboley, determined to reach a new level, and Bertrand Fassio, experienced pilot always accompanied by the RGT structure.

Present on the podium for his first appearance last year, Jean-François Mourgues, French Gravel Rally Champion in 2001, should also be a competitor to watch, as will several newcomers. After winning several rounds of the French Rally Cup with the Alpine A110 RGT, Ludovic Godard could well create a surprise, just like the versatile Jérémy Crétien, Romain Haut-Labourdette and Vincent Leduc, all three at the same level. to establish themselves from their beginnings.

The favorites will also feature Éric Giannini or two defectors from the world of tractions in Éric Royère and Élodie Gines, present by virtue of her title of best female in the Clio Trophy France Asphalte last year. Other drivers will launch their campaign later, like Pierre Roché, great host of the French Rally Championship and ready to take the stage at the Antibes round.

Unrivaled incentives

To guarantee perfect fairness between participants, Signature will provide, via a dedicated team, technical support for all trophy events. On a sporting level, the five best results will be used to establish the final general classification.

Thanks to Elf and Michelin, loyal partners of the Alpine Elf Rallye Trophy, more than €8,000 in prizes are at stake on each stage of the calendar. The future winner will win €5,000 in prizes and €5,000 in parts vouchers. The winners of the Challenger and Gentlemen categories will also receive a set of Michelin tires at each round, as well as a €5,000 parts voucher at the end of the year.

Finally, the crews registered in the Alpine Elf Rallye Trophy will automatically be entered in the FFSA French two-wheel drive Championship, where Cédric Robert, Raphaël Astier and Quentin Gilbert signed an Alpine hat-trick last month at the Rallye du Touquet. A new prestigious competitor will also join the ranks of the brand with the A arrow this week, Stéphane Lefebvre, World and European Junior Rally Champion in 2014.

2023 Calendar

April 20-22                       Rallye Rhône Charbonnières
May 18-20:                      Antibes Côte d’Azur Rally
July 6-8                                 Rallye Aveyron Rouergue Occitanie
August 30-September 2               Mont-Blanc Morzine Rally
September 29-October 1 Rallye Cœur de France
November 23-26                     Rallye du Var

For more information :trophee-alpine@signature-team.com .