Charbonnières-les-Bains, France, April 24th - The Alpine Elf Rally Trophy kicked off its 2023 season this weekend on the fast stages of the Rallye Rhône Charbonnières, with no fewer than eleven Alpine A110 Rally crews competing at the event.
Fabrice Bect was first off the mark as he won the opening stage, but he was very quickly engaged in a tight battle with defending champion Grégory Fontalba and co-driver Stephan Hermet, the two crews then taking turns to lead the standings, much to the delight of the many fans lining the stages. It was only when Fontalba went off on SS10, just after Bect had retaken the lead, that their head-to-head battle came to an end. Fabrice Bect, with six stage wins out of a total of twelve (compared with four for Fontalba), went on to seal the win on the mountainous roads in the south-east of France in his Alpine A110 Rally, finishing ahead of Ludovic Godard and Jean-François Mourgues. There was only one DNF, that of Fontalba, after his off.
Further proof that the Alpine A110 Rally, in addition to its excellent handling and the undoubted pleasure experienced by those behind the wheel, also offers impressive reliability. The Alpine Elf Rally Trophy competitors will be next in action on 19-22 May at the Rallye Antibes Côte D’Azur and its winding tarmac roads also used in the world famous Rallye Monte-Carlo.
