Road rallies – Rallye de l’Ain: Julien Toniutti in front of the Corsican armada! – The race: day stage

Rallye de l’Ain: Julien Toniutti in front of the Corsican armada !

Road rallies - Rallye de l'Ain: Julien Toniutti in front of the Corsican armada! - The race: day stage

After a fierce battle to resist the Corsican pilots who came as conquerors and continue his comeback on Nicolas Derrien who started at the fault, Julien Toniutti leads his KTM 990 Superduke to victory and takes the lead of the championship. Report.

The race: day stage

It’s confirmed, the weather is nice! The superbly picturesque route begins with a very small road which climbs up the side of the vines above Cerdon and offers a magnificent viewpoint. It’s beautiful, the Ain !

Ten minutes of liaison lead us to Challes for the first time of this stage. Paul-Henri Sebe (below), who had already distinguished himself during the recos by his fiery driving on the handlebars of his BMW S1000RR "Tigrou", slammed the best time in 1’21.51, with 7 hundredths ahead of the ‘excellent Stephane Ricciarelli (Yamaha 450 WRF). Julien Toniutti of Team Site (KTM 990 Superduke) gets the third fastest time in 1’21.65 … Did you say tight? Nico Derrien (BMW F800R) follows in 1’22.47.

A nice connection lasting just half an hour then leads us to the second special: Corveissiat. Who will have the biggest heart to stay as long as possible in the row? Nicolas Derrien’s BMW F800R won the tassel in 2’01”65. Second time for Paul Henri’s BMW S1000RR in 2’02.04 and third time again for Julien Toniutti (KTM 990 Superduke) in 2’04.32.

But behind, the troop of Corsican pilots is on the lookout: they are all in the top 10 after these two specials, with in the lot of the best ten a Nicolas "Crazy" Pautet from Team Site in great shape on his Yamaha FZ8 which comes from get a fifth time (2’07”23), two hundredths ahead of Bruno Langlois on his KTM 690 SM.

A planned neutralization of 20 minutes is organized in the village of Villeversure, on the return link to Cerdon. Time for pilots to compare their times and be able to manage their race…

Once in Cerdon, the first lap is complete. 20mn of assistance for everyone, and it starts again for another grand tour of 98 km.

It beats !

During the second passage in the Challes special, Julien Toniutti made the powder speak and posted the best time on the handlebars of the "official" KTM 990 Superduke in 1’18.25, this time sticking almost a full second to the first pursuer, Stephane Ricciarelli ( 1’19.23), at the controls of his Yamaha 450 WRF. The third is none other than Nicolas Derrien on the BMW F800R "Panda Moto" in 1’19.84.

Paul-Henri Sebe on his BMW S1000RR only obtained the fifth fastest time in 1’20.91 … He will perhaps put a little too much gas in the following special to recover, because he is wrong at Corveissiat: a brilliant straight ahead in a rather fast curve, 200 m from the finish of the special! Fortunately no sore for this time, the exit of the road is in a field at this place and Paul-Henri loses only about forty seconds before crossing the finish line.

And in front, it beats hard! Nicolas Derrien sets the best times in 2’02.39, a little less than two tenths ahead of Julien Toniutti (2’02.58) The two contenders for the supreme title do not let go !

For my part, I find that it still rolls a little fast in front! Ma could also express herself, because even "patched up" after her stunt in Beaujolais two weeks ago (read), she walks with the fire of God. But there, it is the pilot who weakens: at 200 km / h I do not feel very comfortable on this kind of tiny routlets … So I go sightseeing !

It is hardly my electric road-book unwinder that has not recovered from its Beaujolaise cabriole … Thanks to Michel Bonneau for having once again served as my guide during the whole rally, because the route was not signposted !

Third round: after 20 minutes of assistance in Cerdon, we are back in Challes for a last day pass. Julien Toniutti took the best time in 1’23.29 in front of a Paul-Henri Sebe always so excited who obtains a superb 1’25.38. Nicolas Derrien slams the third time, a tiny hundredth behind Paul-Henri. However, the times seem quite strange because for no apparent reason, everyone ends up with 5 seconds more than in the previous passage … All that will remain a mystery: the Gods of the chrono found that it was going too fast ?

At Corveissiat, Nicolas Derrien puts it back in control of his BMW F800R: best time in 2’03.26 ahead of Paul-Henri Sebe (2’03.75) and Julien Toniutti (2’03.99).

The third liaison lap is shortened to 75 km, which takes us back down more directly to Cerdon where an hour and a half of assistance is given to prepare the bikes for the night stage: additional lights, fine-tuning of the settings and a little rest.

Julien Toniutti, obsessed with preloading and dead racing, fine-tuned his suspension setting to be able to put the package on tonight: at the end of the daytime stage, he is leading the rally within a second of Nico Derrien.

Crazy (6th place in the provisional scratch) has meanwhile wisely mounted its (soon available for sale) which will allow it to work miracles tonight !

With the Derrien, we are also active in a serious preparation under the reassuring paternal eye of Pierre Derrien.

The Corsican Team is also taking the matter very seriously: tonight, it’s going to ch … auffer !

Marcus HIMSELF

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