There were several noteworthy changes among the eleven competitors in round two. The second-place finisher in the season-opener, Mathieu Lannepoudenx joined Brunet Competition, as did Spanish driver Alvaro Lobera. At the same time, experienced racers Enrique Hernando and Fernando Navarrete debuted in the Clio Ice Trophy with Driveland while Dylan Dufas and Patrick Chiappe joined Naudon Rallye Services.

BALTOLU SETS THE PACE

For round two, the Pas de La Case Circuit at 2,400 metres altitude was a touch longer with a 817 metre-track offering more pronounced corners than last week. Pierre Paul Baltolu set the tone in free practice ahead of Romain Di-Fante and Mathieu Lannepoudenx, with Pauline Dalmasso (Naudon Rallye Services) and Bryan Dufas (Naudon Rallye Services) completing the top five.

Romain Di-Fante dominated the first group in qualifying, but Fernando Navarrete lowered the benchmark time. Pierre Paul Baltolu and Mathieu Lannepoudenx did even better, with the Corsican posting the best overall time ahead of Mathieu Lannepoudenx and Fernando Navarrete in a leading trio representing the three teams entered this weekend. At the same time, Pierre Paul Baltolu also scored maximum points in the intermediate classification totalling the four fastest laps of each driver, this time ahead of Romain Di-Fante, Mathieu Lannepoudenx and the Dufas brothers.

A FIRST FOR DUFAS, BALTOLU IN DOMINATING FORM

In the first final, Mathieu Lannepoudenx and Dylan Dufas quickly made it a two-driver battle for the win. Using all the overtaking skills he picked up with Clio RX in the French Junior Rallycross Championship, Dylan Dufas found an opening on the polesitter with two laps to go to win by a whisker. Pauline Dalmasso completed the podium ahead of Enrique Hernando, who had overtaken Patrick Chiappe - usually the co-driver of Romain Di-Fante ! - at the start.

Shortly afterwards, Pierre Paul Baltolu quickly pulled away from the field to take an easy win by more than ten seconds in the A Final. Fernando Navarrete finished second despite pressure from Bryan Dufas, who got past Romain Di-Fante on lap two. Alvaro Lobera was fifth ahead of Arthur Bourion (Brunet Competition).

A THREE-DRIVER BATTLE IN THE POINTS

With the victory, Pierre-Paul Baltolu won the round ahead of newcomer Dylan Dufas and Mathieu Lannepoudenx. He now leads Romain Di Fante and Mathieu Lannepoudenx by six points in the Clio Ice Trophy. The leading trio is widening the gap to their rivals as Bryan Dufas is fourth overall at 30 points to the leader. The four men dominate in the same order the two-wheel-drive championship of the Crèdit Andorrà GSeries before the next round of the season on Saturday 29 January.

Free practice - Qualifying - Intermediate classification - A Final - B Final - Clio Ice Trophy

For more information, please contact cliotrophy@fr.alpineracing.com or visit cliorally.com.

Pierre Paul Baltolu : "This second round of the Clio Ice Trophy went perfectly from start to finish with the best time in qualifying and a perfect final. This trophy is a lot of fun. The track time and the experience you gain are a bonus for the future. It’s also a pleasure to compete against drivers from different disciplines, such as Romain Di-Fante, the reigning French two-wheel-drive rally champion, Dylan Dufas, the 2019 French Rallycross champion and Pauline Dalmasso, the 2019 French Women’s Rally champion. The atmosphere is outstanding and very friendly, and it is quite affordable. I am now leading the general classification and I will do everything I can to keep the lead until the end. I want to thank Naudon Rallye Services, my mechanics, all the Clio Ice Trophy organisers and all my partners and parents, without whom I wouldn’t be here."

ROUND 2 — CLASSIFICATION
1. PIERRE-PAUL BALTOLU 40 POINTS
2. DYLAN DUFAS 34 POINTS
3. MATHIEU LANNEPOUDENX 29 POINTS
4. ROMAIN DI-FANTE 25 POINTS
5. FERNANDO NAVARRETE 23 POINTS
6. BRYAN DUFAS 22 POINTS
7. PAULINE DALMASSO 19 POINTS
8. PATRICK CHIAPPE 13 POINTS
9. EDUARDO HERNANDO 12 POINTS
10. ALVARO LOBERA 12 POINTS
11. ARTHUR BOURION 9 POINTS

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (ROUND 2/4)
1. PIERRE-PAUL BALTOLU 71 POINTS
2. ROMAIN DI-FANTE 65 POINTS
3. MATHIEU LANNEPOUDENX 65 POINTS
4. BRYAN DUFAS 41 POINTS
5. PAULINE DALMASSO 35 POINTS
6. DYLAN DUFAS 34 POINTS
7. BENOIT VERLINDE 27 POINTS
8. FERNANDO NAVARRETE 23 POINTS
9. KOEN VERLINDE 20 POINTS
10. ARTHUR BOURION 20 POINTS
11. GUILLERMO MILLAN 17 POINTS
12. MARKEL DE ZABALETA 13 POINTS
13. PATRICK CHIAPPE 13 POINTS
14. EDUARDO HERNANDO 12 POINTS
15. ALVARO LOBERA 12 POINTS
16. JONATHAN ARNOULD 8 POINTS

ABOUT THE CLIO ICE TROPHY

Introduced in 2022, the Clio Ice Trophy offers spectacular races on ice on the Pas de la Case circuit in Andorra. As part of the Crèdit Andorrà GSeries, the Clio Ice Trophy draws on several synergies within the Renault Group, in particular the experience of the Alpine Racing customer competition department based in Viry-Châtillon and that of the competition department at the Alpine factory in Dieppe. For its inaugural edition, the Clio Ice Trophy will take place over four rounds and on as many different track configurations at the same location, where abundant snow and fantastic sliding conditions promise to be the order of the day.