Bonato triumphed at Rallye du Var, Wagner at Rally Show Santa Domenica

The major international rally competitions (WRC, ERC) are over but there is still a lot of action in national rally championships all around Europe. The main event this weekend was the 64th Rallye du Var, the final round of the French championship.

Yoann Bonato clinched a victory in a Citroen C3 R5, also securing a championship title. Bonato was pretty dominant in a three-day rally, entering the last stage with a 27.4sec advantage over Stephane Sarrazin in a Hyundai i20 R5. Sarrazin suffered a puncture on the last stage and dropped to P6. Bryan Bouffier (Hyundai i20 R5) and Laurent Pellier (Citroen C3 R5) finished on a podium. 190 crews were on the entry list, 131 reached the finish line.

Simon Wagner at 9th Rally Show Santa Domenica

The last weekend of November is the traditional time for the Rally Show Santa Domenica in Croatia, on the gravel roads near the Slovenian border. The winner of the ninth edition is Austrian Simon Wagner in a Škoda Fabia R5.

It’s his only third start in an R5 car and the first on a gravel. Wagner defeated two Hungarians, Antal Kovacs in a Ford Fiesta R5 and Sandor Olle in a Škoda Fabia R5. More than ninety crews participated in the greatest rally event in Eastern Europe.

Photos: Yoann Bonato Officiel, Zvonimir Kranjčec