Road rallies – Rallye des Garrigues: when bad luck persists … –

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Rallye des Garrigues: when bad luck persists…

Road rallies - Rallye des Garrigues: when bad luck persists ... -

Sad opening for the 2010 French Rally Championship: with Michel Mellenotte’s fatal accident, the party came to an end … Serge Nuques nonetheless released his alien claw by winning three of the four specials selected.

The Rallye des Garrigues, the first event of the 2010 French Rally Championship organized by the DRAC motorcycle club in Laverune (34) and led by Laurent Guimard, nevertheless had everything to be placed under the sign of celebration: trial demonstrations, mini motorcycle show with new models exhibited by dealers in the region, fanfare, retransmission on giant screen of specials in on-board cameras … Everything was planned !

On the sporting side, scalded by the death of Philippe Rousselin last year during reconnaissance (read), the Garrigues rally innovates by banning motorcycle reconnaissance a few days before the race. A single lap without a stopwatch, with the specials closed to traffic, is scheduled the morning before the start to identify any pitfalls in the special. The timing is tight, but it had to pass !

The recce lap is launched as planned at 8:30 am, the sun is shining but the temperature remains very cool … Following slight delays in setting up during the passage of the specials, the start of the rally is given with a forty minutes late … but it’s over !

Shortly before 11:00 am, Manoel Delaval, the reigning champion carrying the number 1 plate, sets off for the first big loop of this daytime stage on the handlebars of his Honda CB 1000 R Check Up Motos 71.

The route of the day is planned in two loops of 135 km and a small one of 72 km each taking the two specials: Argeliers and Murles.

Among the starters, a certain Serge Nuques is there, incognito under the number 169 (personalized by him …) at the controls of a Yamaha 450 WR "tip top". The abominable Grolandais knight came to greet his former playmates, but also to validate this system of recognition that he considers secure. He did not plan to participate assiduously in the 2010 championship, because Môssieur Nuques has other imperatives….

Another renowned participant: Christophe Guyot himself came for fun riding a Yamaha FZ1 under the number … 194, of course !

The race

After the prohibited recos, another novelty: the route is done without signs, all in the road book! This "gymnastics of attention" naturally recalls the Ultimate Rally … and well equipped, you get used to it !

From the first special, Julien Toniutti, Team Site rider riding a splendid Husaberg 570 FS, made his appearance – or rather his reappearance: absent last year for professional reasons, he was winner of the Espoir Cup, vice champion "Topsport" and third "Scratch" in 2008. Julien offers the best times of the special in 1’36”917, thus sticking more than 4 tenths to the ex-untouchable Chevalier grolandais (1’37 ” 490). Third time for Mano the champion in 1’37”872, ahead of another returning: Philippe Richelmi, scratch champion 2005, who takes the fourth time riding a KTM RC8 in 1’38”537.

The road course of this large loop is rather rolling but pleasant. The sun is now close to the zenith, the temperature becomes more pleasant and it is very good to ride in the scrubland of the Herault !

Second special, the same as in 2009: Murles the bumpy, the viroleuse, the magnificent! Sergeï the Terrible takes the opportunity to set the record straight: 1’44 "265!"No but who is the boss ?", he wonders on arrival! And given what hangs on the back of his motorcycle, we understand better why he drives so fast because he is constantly on the run … The sinister Chevalier is followed by Mano Delaval who places his Honda CB 1000 R in 1’46”432 in front of Thierry Canazzi on Husaberg 570 FS, third in 1’46”858, and Julien Toniutti fourth three tenths behind.

The return to Laverune is done quietly for a 15-minute assistance before leaving for the second large loop. And it starts again. So far everything has been going well … Except that by arriving at the first special, a reluctant local resident lost nearly two hours in the course of the race. Once the problem is solved, the rally resumes its course but the large loop must be truncated and it is the small loop that will be performed.

Serge Nuques won again in 1’34”193 after a good fight with Julien Toniutti (1’34”577) who stuck practically a second to Manoel Delaval (1’35”581). Your servant Marcus falls, fortunately without seriousness, probably because of the cooled tires during these two hours of waiting…

Goodbye Michel…

But while we are doing the second special, joined only ten minutes after the first by the route of the small loop where the fight is raging in the leading trio, a drama occurs among the numbers still in the Argeliers special. : Michel Mellenotte’s Triumph Speed ​​Triple n ° 379, in the colors of the Central Team, makes a mistake in the first corner of the special! Badly fallen after a slip / hang up, Michel succumbs despite the rapid intervention of the emergency services…

Despite the ban on reconnaissance and carefully secured stages, the small world of rallies is therefore experiencing a new tragedy … The competitors returned to Laverune, ignoring the tragedy, will not learn the terrible news and the cancellation of the stage of night that when leaving around 8 p.m..

The 25 motorcycles behind Michel, who had only completed two specials, were mainly day licenses, outside the championship. The organization therefore worked to find a solution to establish a classification on four stages, with their times achieved, and by attributing identical times to the first passage for the few "Classic" competitors present in the 25. This has allowed to establish a credible classification for the attribution of points in the championship. The first test is therefore complete, but with only one stage instead of two.

Rankings

Scratch

  1. Serge Nuques on Yamaha 450 WRF

  2. Julien Toniutti on Husaberg 570 FS

  3. Manoel Delaval on Honda CB 1000 R

Topsport

  1. Manoel Delaval

  2. Maxime Mettra on KTM 950 Supermoto

  3. Patrick Curtat on KTM 950 Supermoto

Mono

  1. Serge Nuques

  2. Julien Toniutti

  3. Nicolas Derrien on KTM 690 SM

Sport

  1. Murari Gregory on Motorbike 400 DRZ

  2. Caviglioli François on Honda 600 Transalp

  3. Caviglioli Felix on Suzuki 400 DRZ

Sidecar

  1. Lebert / Jeandemange on yamaha 1100 FJ

  2. Jacob / Fuyet on Suzuki 1300 Choda

  3. Laforest / Moreau on Suzuki 1300 Choda

Classics

  1. Nick Ayrton on Suzuki 1100 GSXR

  2. Laurent Lejeune on Suzuki 750 GSXR

  3. Gerard Spagli on Yamaha 350 RD (1st in the "Old" category)

Apart from the occasional domination on this rally for the Grolandais knight, new leaders are leading the categories. This is notably the case of the Lebert / Jeandemange crew, often on the "Side-car" podiums in previous championships, or our national "Grand-Breton" Nick Ayrton this year in Classics, today leading the provisional of their category.

Continuation of the events on April 4 and 5 in La Suze (72) for the Rallye de la Sarthe: stay tuned !

Marcus HIMSELF

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