Valtteri Bottas wins the RallyCircuit du Castellet
The Formula 1 season has just ended, and already Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas is missing competition. He was present in the south of France at the Paul Ricard circuit to participate in the second RallyCircuit organized by the Castellet circuit team. Behind the wheel of his DS3 WRC, he came to enjoy himself and indulge in the thrills of driving a World Rally Car.
Valtteri Bottas wasted no time in putting on his racing gloves again. This weekend, he participated in the RallyCircuit taking place at the Paul-Ricard circuit. This is not his first rally experience for the Finn, as he had already driven the Fiesta WRC at the Arctic Rally (5th place) and the Toyota Yaris WRC during the rally of Finland’s tests this summer.
The first edition of this somewhat special rally was organized in 2016. Sébastien Loeb was the first winner.
This year, it is the second edition. No fewer than 58 crews are competing in the “modern” categories, including 5 WRC and 13 R5. Valtteri Bottas is the big favorite with his DS3 WRC No. 77 prepared by the PH Sport team.
Thibault Durbec, Robert Consani, Dorian Boccolacci, and Stéphane Lefebvre are also highly anticipated.
We also find the VHC category (Historic Competition Vehicles) with 15 crews and cars coming from all horizons. Notably competing are a Mazda RX7, Triumph TR7 and TR8, as well as Peugeot 205 and 504.
This rally comes from an unusual format where the stages are laid out within the circuit grounds. There are 9 stages in total, 5 different ones, and they take place over two days. The rendezvous point is the center of the circuit, where the Parc Fermé is located. It is a mandatory stop for all competitors between two stages. Over the weekend, competitors will have covered 123.36 km of timed stages and 21.28 km of liaison.
The liaison specials are very short, and the configuration favors the spectacle. Spectators can walk around as if on a circuit. They can wander from stand to stand and also enjoy the race from different locations.
Valtteri Bottas is the winner of this rally, winning 5 of the 9 stages. He finishes with a 50-second lead over Robert Consani and his Skoda R5. Simon Gachet in a C3 R5 completes the overall podium, 1 minute 43 seconds behind the Finnish leader.
Motors Inside allows you to relive this victorious race weekend for the driver with number 77, immersing you in the PH SPORT team through the photo report linked to this article. (Photos: Nicolas LEROOY/Motorsinside)
