8-8 – Rallye des Coteaux – Rallye des Coteaux: an anthology final! – Coteaux Rally page 3: Stage 2, day and night

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Rallye des Coteaux: an anthology final !

8-8 - Rallye des Coteaux - Rallye des Coteaux: an anthology final! - Coteaux Rally page 3: Stage 2, day and night

Bruno Schiltz, driver of the CTM83 team on KTM 1290 Superduke, wins the Elite SW Motech and Rallye 1 championship titles despite difficult weather conditions and the victory of Julien Toniutti (Triumph Street Triple RS). Story.

Coteaux Rally page 3: Stage 2, day and night

Only 20 minutes of break are granted to the 107 drivers classified on this first stage before setting out again for the first loop of the second stage. This first round is done during the day for everyone but they will ultimately only be 83 to leave for this stage 2.

8-8 - Rallye des Coteaux - Rallye des Coteaux: an anthology final! - Coteaux Rally page 3: Stage 2, day and night

The weather improved in the afternoon and the road is more and more drier, but probably not enough for the passage of the first numbers: in the special of Plats, we find this time three Rallye 2 Tecnoglobe at the three first places, with Emmanuel Gonzalez at the head of the KTM 690 Duke R n ° 135 which takes down the pompom in 2’44.30 (oh yes, there it is almost dry!).

Second Chrono for Benjamin Garniaux (Yamaha MT-07) in 2’45.97, while David Sainjon (Yamaha MT-07) is third in 2.46.01. The first Rallye 1 is in fourth position: Damien Lauret (KTM 990 Superduke) in 2’47.95. Great performance of the first Classics, Stephane Gueguin at the controls of his Yamaha 240 TDR, which takes fifth position with a time of 2’48.95.

8-8 - Rallye des Coteaux - Rallye des Coteaux: an anthology final! - Coteaux Rally page 3: Stage 2, day and night

8-8 - Rallye des Coteaux - Rallye des Coteaux: an anthology final! - Coteaux Rally page 3: Stage 2, day and night

The places resume their usual course after passing the Amboulons special, which further enhances the performance of a supercharged Tanguy Brebion who positions his Husqvarna 701 SM n ° 8 at the top of the table with a time of 2’57, 80, or one hundredth of a second ahead of the second time of Julien Toniutti himself (a distant cousin of Marcus Himself …) in 2’57.81! Bruno Schiltz is third in 2’58.17.

Then it’s back to Mauves for a two hour break this time. It is around 6.30 p.m., it will not start again for two night loops until 8.30 p.m..

The pilots rest and eat while the mechanics are busy reconditioning the machines. The activity is particularly intense in the CTM83 team, where the team is concentrated on an electrical failure of the KTM 690 Duke 4 of Maxime Mettra….

It came close to Maxime throwing in the towel! Team manager Herve Ricord, also boss of the KTM Compte Tours Moto dealership in Six Fours les Plages, detects the breakdown in question in extremis and Maxime barely sets off for this second stage, with a title to achieve: that of the Rallye 2 Tecnoglobe !

Maxime immediately took matters into his own hands and gave himself the best time of the first night passage at Plats in 2’35.25. Bruno Schiltz second in 2’40.32, ahead of Julien Toniutti third in 2’42.11.

Christophe Velardi has not left, there are only 77 drivers left in the race.

In Amboulons, for the first time at night, Julien sets the record straight and sets the best time in 2’58.45. Maxime is 1.29 seconds behind in 2’59.74 and the National Police Motorcycle Club (CMPN) rider Benoît Nimis (Yamaha MT-10) brings up the rear of the leading trio, a full second behind Maxime (3 ’00, 74).

While the rain decides to come back to settle in the rally, it starts again for the third lap of the stage, the second at night. The weather is hellish and the showers are getting stronger.
On the last lap of the Plats special, Maxime Mettra braved the storm and once again set the fastest time in 3’00.90. Second time For Frederic Galtier (KTM 1290 Superduke R) in 3’01.42, then comes Benoît Nimis’ Yamaha MT-10 again in 3’03.10. Not far behind we find our winner of the 2017 Women’s Rally Trophy, Sonia Barbot, who leads her KTM 690 Duke R (KTM34 Suttel motorsport) in turmoil in 3’03.88, with a grip that would make some machos pale. !

Amboulons, last: Benoît Nimis concluded the rally with a victory in the special on the handlebars of his Yamaha MT-10 and obtained the best time in 3’13.71. Second time for the KTM 1290 Superduke R of Frederic Galtier in 3’14.38 while Maxime Mettra finished this special in third position in 3’15.36.

In the following places, everyone is doing their own thing, trying to stay on the bike in the face of these difficult conditions. All you have to do now is join Mauves to close this first Coteaux Rally and conclude the 2017 French Rally Championship.

The weather is not improving, on the contrary: the conditions are extreme, which does not facilitate anything and the penalties are given to their heart! A nod to the passage to the volunteers who cheerfully hold the CH and CP posts, also dependent on these poor conditions…

There will only be around thirty penalized drivers at the finish line, which corresponds almost to the same percentage of competitors as during the first stage: they are only 61 to finish this rally "the hard way"…

Marcus HIMSELF

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