The 350bhp V6 engined Fiat Stilo 'ice racer' has been in the thick of the ice racing action during the opening three rounds of the 2006 Trophée Andros season which have taken place earlier this month. The fearsome Fiat Stilo 'ice racer' was first developed for last year's Trophée Andros series, and has undergone significant further development and preparation in readiness for this winter's action. The racing car itself uses a lightweight Stilo-look alike 'silhouette' chassis. Underneath it features a tubular spaceframe chassis built by the highly regarded Tork Engineering concern, using the latest CAD methods. A highly-developed 24-valve, 3.0-litre V6 engine (which is drawn from the Fiat Ulysse MPV, to fit the series' technical requirements that state the engine must be Fiat-sourced), is mated to a competition 6-speed sequential gearbox and four wheel drive, pumped out 350bhp, all of which had to be put down through narrow 16-inch 'knobbly' tyres onto a surface which comprises of pure ice!

For the 2006 Trophée Andros series Over-Drive, along with famous French motorsports preparation outfit ORECA, have taken over responsibility for running the Fiat Auto France backed Stilos, the line-up having been expanded to two cars this year, with a second all-female crew having now been drafted in to contest the 'Trophée Andros Féminin'. Franck Lagorce and Philippe de Korsak are back behind the wheel of the leading entry once more, while the second factory car is being piloted by Margot Laffite and Justine Monnier-Chicherit in the Trophée Andros Féminin, which is being contested by twenty five other female racers, over seven rounds.

Two other Fiat Stilo 'ice racers' are taking part in the eight-round series: Thierry Joncoux and Aurélia Marti are in a Sainteloc entry, while Eric Guillemette is taking part in an Event Pub/Compte Tours run example. Further Italian diversity comes from the regular appearance of two Alfa Romeo 147 based racers from Mach Racing and Sport Garage. Favourite to clinch the series crown in the undisputed king of French ice racing, the former British Touring Car Champion, Yvan Muller. He is joined by Paul Bourion in a K Motorsport/Exagon Engineering entered Kia Rio. Other front runners include Jean-Philippe Dayraut and Gilles Stievenart in a BMW 1-series, and the former French F1 World Champion Alain Prost who is at the wheel of a Toyota Corolla. Another former French F1 Grand Prix winner, Olivier Panis, joins Bertrand Balas in a second Corolla.

The eight-round 2006 Trophée Andros kicked off at Val Thorens over the first weekend of this month. After the opening round, the series moved on to Pas de la Casa in Andorra the following weekend, and Alpe d'Huez the one after, which brought the series up to its Christmas break. The teams will reconvene at the Isola 2000/Alpes Maritimes ski resort on 7th and 8th January. Then it's on to Lans en Vercors/Villard de Lans the following weekend before January's programme is rounded out at Serre Chevalier on 21st and 22nd. The final event takes place at Clermont/Superbesse  on 27th and 28th. Lastly a special "Super Final" event will take place at the Stade de France on 18th March.

Round 1 - Val Thorens

It was under a snow-heavy sky that the 2006 Trophée Andros season got underway at Val Thorens on the weekend of 3rd and 4th December. During those two days of competitions, the "Professor" Alain Prost, encountered some difficulties when the steering of his Toyota Corolla was damaged on Sunday. By posting his best laps during the first race though, Prost was able to keep hold of the top spot the final rankings. As for Fiat Stilo pilot Frank Lagorce, he remained loyal to his position throughout the weekend and his excellent consistency put him into second place in the championship after the first round.
 

Finally, Yvan Muller, the overall winner of the Trophée Andros in 2005, but who finished in only sixth place at the end of the first race, was saved by the third position he gained on Sunday, allowing him to hold onto third place of the final rankings. The German BMW 1-series, a new arrival in the Trophée Andros, also proved its worth during the weekend by taking fourth and sixth place in the final rankings. Driven by Jean-Philippe Dayraut and Gilles Stievenart, both the BMW 1-series cars performed well on their competitive debut. As for Olivier Panis, a newcomer to the Trophée Andros, he had to be content with the ninth position he achieved aboard his Toyota Corolla. A total of 45 cars competed during two days of racing on the European ice circuit.

Round 2 - Andorra/Pas de la Casa

The second round of the Trophée Andros took place at Andorra/Pas de la Casa on 10th and 11th December. The competition took place under a clear blue sky and bitterly cold temperatures, a sign of perfect racing conditions. However, this low temperature hardened the track and consequently reduced the tyres' grip. Many drivers tried to overcome the problem by sparing their tyres, but this strategy didn't seem to pay off for any of them. During the first racing day, only thirteen drivers took the start of the second race. The sport executives of the Trophée Andros then decided to rethink the new tyre regulation established for this season. Once they had gathered, the decision was made to put eight tyres at each driver's disposal every weekend, thus returning to the regulations in force last season.

As for the Fiat Stilo women's duo, Justine Monier and Marguerite Laffite, it was a most spectacular and promising weekend in only their second weekend together, as they claimed a second and third place. A truly thrilling weekend for both occupants of the bright pink Fiat. After the first two weekends of the Trophée Andros races, Yvan Muller, was now in first place, having gained two positions on the overall points leaderboard.

Round 3 - Alpes d'Huez

The drivers faced much better track conditions than were seen during the previous round as the drivers and teams of the Trophée Andros moved on to Alpes d'Huez on 15th and 16th December for a third consecutive weekend's ice racing. Jean-Philippe Dayraut and Alain Prost distinguished themselves during the first day's action followed closely by Joël Stere in the new BMW. Prost recorded the fastest time while Dayraut won the race. Dany Snobeck, one of the first ever winners of the Trophée Andros and two-time winner of the Challenge in 1999 and 2000, made a brilliant comeback during the second day of racing, while Fiat's Franck Lagorce turned in consisted runs to finish up in second place on day two.

After two days of hard competitive driving on the winding and narrow tracks of the Alpe d'Huez, the first three positions of the final rankings to be issued before Christmas remained the same, Muller (439 points) and Dayraut (425) are followed by Prost (414), while best of the Stilo runners is Lagorce in fourth place (397). The Trophée Andros now takes a break during the Christmas holiday period before returning to action on the 7th and 8th January 2006 in Isola 2000/Alpes Maritimes.