New CLIO Rally car gets European competition debut
28 September 2020
The cars contested the famous Rally Mont-Blanc Morzine event which included two days of asphalt stages on closed public highways in the shadow of the French Alps.
Twenty-seven were able to make it to the finish, with the crew of Romain di Fante and Jules Escartefigue emerging as the winners by just over three quarters of a minute.
The pair achieved the maximum score possible by also winning the event’s ‘power stage’ – named after Renault Sport rallying legend Jean Ragnotti – to take an addition five bonus points.
New CLIO Rallye produces 180bhp and is powered by a 1.3 TCe engine – identical to that in the New Clio Cup race car but fitted with a bespoke ‘rally kit’. The engine revs to 6,500rpm with torque put at 300Nm.
It is also fitted with Bos non-adjustable shock absorbers, Sachs clutch, a SADEV ST82 5-speed sequential gearbox and ZF limited slip differential.
Watch highlights of New CLIO Rally on its European debut in Morzine
The car had made it's competition debut back in March, on Mexico’s round of the World Rally Championship – successfully coping with that event’s notoriously tough gravel stages.
However, this was the first time it had appeared on an event in Europe and on asphalt stages. Without question, it has immediately proven its reliability and resilience.
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The car is available to purchase for competition in the UK priced 42,000 Euros (+vat) through R.Sport: Email r_sport_uk@hotmail.com or Tel : 07733 330421
Di Fante commented: “This new Clio is very strong out of the box. It inspires confidence and it is just a pleasure to drive!
“It was also fabulous to score maximum points with the best time in the Power Stage, because that wasn’t the goal at all at the start. This first rally bodes well for the future and I’m already looking forward to the Cœur de France !”
Based near the famous Le Mans circuit, Rallye Cœur de France takes place from 25-27 September on roads in the Loire Valley region of France.
