Road rallies – Le rallye pur Sarthe –

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The pure Sarthe rally

Road rallies - Le rallye pur Sarthe -

Let’s go for the 2006 French Championship with the 49th edition of the Rallye de la Sarthe, the traditional opening event: a rally characterized by its first special of four laps on the Bugatti circuit and not often good weather…

The Rallye de la Sarthe is "the" race that rally fans wait all winter to meet up, discover the new mounts of their competitors and get away from it all on the famous 24 Hours Moto circuit..

For this traditional opening round of the 2006 French Rally Championship, ASCOP and ASMACO had concocted a superb race in three stages: first stage on Saturday morning with the Bugatti circuit in the first special and a passage on part of the circuit " White House "located nearby.

Second stage in the afternoon on a superb technical route with two specials (Crannes-en-Champagne and Coulans-sur-Gee). And third night stage on part of the daytime route, with some variations and the two specials in the afternoon. Event counts triple therefore, thanks to the separate classifications of the three stages. It was also particularly important to participate, since the 2006 Championship has only four rallies this year….

A rally full of surprises, with first of all the absence of the reigning champion, Philippe Richelmi, who suddenly decided to take a break from his rally career just a few days before the event, during the recce.

"I do not want anymore", he suddenly explains to Moto-Net:"I wonder what I’m doing here, freezing my balls on rotten, gravel and muddy stages while at home, in Nice, at the moment everyone is in t-shirt sunbathing! And then these too limited recos is nonsense! We’re constantly cops, I’m fed up, I’m quitting !", concludes the driver from Nice, alluding to the new measures taken by the rally commission to limit the risks of overflows and abusive reconnaissance: henceforth, only six passages are officially authorized for each special … A measure that is difficult to control, but a effective way to make participants aware of the danger and nuisance of recce…

Philippe Richelmi had already accustomed us to this kind of last minute reaction, like when he had decided not to participate in the last Moto Tour (read). However, let us hope that his decision is only a passing crisis, and that we will soon see this excellent pilot teasing the scratches of specials again. !

Also regretted absence of the sinister Grolandais knight Serge Nuques, due to a still too limited budget with his participation in endurance (read), the Super Roadster Cup and the Dark Dog Moto Tour.

The ignoble Serge Nuques had all the same dispatched a knight missionary to send a message announcing that Sergei would come to attend one of the Championship events to show that even absent, he manages everything: cameras installed on his motorcycle. monk Marcus would retransmit the images by satellite to Groland, so that the Chevalier could laugh at the competitors 2006…

In the absence of number 1 and number 2, it is therefore Marc Troussard, number 3, who inaugurated the championship this year in La Suze, the starting town of the Sarthe rally: "it reminds me of the 90s but I’m not used to it anymore, it’s easier when there is someone in front, it gives a benchmark for the scores at the CH !", he regrets in the absence of his Master Sergei…

The forces involved

Strong motivation from BMW which is very seriously involved in rallies with Florent Parret (Motorcyclist Club of the National Police, CMPN) on a 1200 HP2, Herve Ricord (R1 1200 GS) and especially Pierre Lemos, the French champion " Mono "2005 on another HP2 loaned by BMW France via Euro-moto and prepared by Recchia motos in Lyon. "I kinda feel like I’m at work !", laughs Florent Parret who ranks first in BMW, 7th overall and 4th in Top Sport..

The CMPN also staked its hopes on Thomas Laroche and Stephane Jocteur, two "newbies", as well as on Emmanuel Siaux. All three are riding the 450 Yamaha WR.

As for the sides, everyone is motivated: on these specials with more than mediocre grip, the "three wheels" are favored and the smile of some makes it clear that the rain is not their first enemy! It is therefore full of ambition that the sidecarists find themselves in the first series on the Bugatti. !

First surprises of the day on Saturday morning: Laurent Razy on a 990 KTM achieves the scratch at the Bugatti while it is a "new" rally, more at ease on a circuit than on the road ( participations in the Hornet Cup in 2000 and 2001). Second time for Emmanuel Siaux (CMPN) on his Yamaha 450 WR, who will also take the best time of the second special on the small circuit of "White House" !

In the afternoon, the second stage is contested on the "real" special stages of the rally with an equally "real" road course, all in terrible weather … Enough to satisfy specialists in difficult conditions! And the difficult, this edition of Sarthe was full of them! A complex course with different "semi-loops" – "take here on the first pass then there on the second": a precise reading of the road book was advised, even essential on these small roads flooded with rain, overflowing with gravel and sometimes covered with mud. Very hard test therefore for pilots up early in the morning for the circuit test, and a rally adapted to monos seen its "rotten" specials, according to the time-honored expression.

Emmanuel Siaux will indeed offer himself three scratches on the four specials of the afternoon but will not arrive at the end of the event: engine broken! We will still find two monos in the first two places of the day classification, but with another new one in mind: Thomas Laroche, new recruit of the CMPN, finds himself in front of Alain Amblard who has opted this year for a machine more recent than his old 600 XR, a 660 KTM !

And the night ?

One would have thought that the particularly selective road course, the incessant rain and the fatigue accumulated throughout this hard day would allow experienced rallymen to move up the rankings … But it was without counting on the passion of new blood !

The rally is changing, adapting to the era of risky roads and over-regulation and 2006 is also a year of renewal among top pilots: the youngster of the CMPN, Thomas Laroche will once again offer himself the best time of 3 of the 4 specials !

Gregory Debize motivated after a 4th place in the classification of the morning circuits and a 3rd place in stage 2 will win one and win the night stage thanks to a small error of course by Thomas who will take 2 minutes of penalty by pointing in delay at a CH. Another "old man", the Corsican Thierry Canazzi (KTM 400 EXC) will thus be placed in second position at 2 seconds. It will also win first place in the "Sport" category ((less than 400 monos and less than 500 twin).

At the sum of the three stages, it is Greg Debize on his Suzuki GSX-R 750 who wins this 49th Sarthe rally ahead of Thierry Canazzi and the stage local, Nick Ayrton. A podium made up of three experienced rallymen, but the rest of the championship promises to be eventful with the rise of newcomers !

Not to be overlooked either among the favorites: Pierre Lemos, the BMW rider on his HP2, for whom the Sarthe served as the grip of his machine. He led his race in a very measured way, aware of the importance of his results. Calmly started in the Bugatti with a 29th fastest time, he will nonetheless obtain a 3rd scratch time in a night special … For the categories, Alain Amblard gets used to his new mount perfectly and climbs to first place in the category " Mono".

In sidecar, the Toulouse team Herve Laur / Marie Laure Ferrieu won the category while Gerard "Gege" Rolland took the lead in the Classics..

Long month of rest now before the next rally, the 70th edition of the Rallye de l’Ain, where the "old" will be able to do battle with the "young" … See you on May 6 on Moto-Net !

Marcus HIMSELF

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