The Scorpion brand will be bidding for more rally glory this weekend across Europe with crews driving the Abarth 124 Rally set to be in the thick of the action on France’s Rallye Vosges Grand Est à Gerardmer and Spain’s Rally Rallye De Ourense.
The 33rd Rallye Vosges Grand Est à Gerardmer, the fourth round of the FFSA French Rally Championship, will see the Milano Racing team taking part. The Abarth 124 Rally will be entered in the GT+ and driven this time by Raphael Astier.
The Frenchman
arrives more than ready to shoot for glory as he claimed a superb R-GT category win on the Tour de Corse, which counts for the FIA R-GT Cup, back in April, driving a 124 Rally.
He is in fact standing in for the up-and-coming compatriot Nicolas Ciamin who will be competing on the FIA World Rally Championship’s round in Sardinia this weekend under the scope of the young driver project of the French Federation.
"I am very excited to be able to compete in a round of the French championship," said Astier. "It is an excellent training opportunity for me ahead of the next FIA R-GT event, the Rally di Roma, in which I will need to defend my lead in the championship ranking."
Astier, along with his navigator Frederic Vauclaire, will compete in the GT+ category where they will be going up against a brace of Porsches, driven by Patrick Rouillard/Cedric Gamboni (997 GT3 Cup) and Maxime Perrin/Melode Artzner (911 GT3).
This year's Rallye Vosges Grand Est à Gerardmer will comprise of a total rally route distance of 544 km with 183 km of those being timed and split into 12 special stages.
Meanwhile in Spain, Alberto Monarri and Rodrigo Sanjuàn of the SMC Junior Motorsport team will be defending their lead in the Two-Wheel Drive Trophy on the 51st Rallye De Ourense, the fourth event of the Spanish Tarmac Rally Championship season.
The pair have been racking up wins in the R-GT class this year, albeit with little competition, and this weekend will be the same as they’re the only entry in R-GT, so rather they will be looking to once again push up the running order and impress amongst the two-wheel-drive cars. They will be entered under the Abarth España banner.
The two leg rally will start in Mira Do Rio, near Ourense tomorrow morning. The 506-km-long route will comprise of 10 special stages that add up to timed total of 182 km and finish on Sunday.
Photos: Abarth 124 Rally (season 2018)
