With a fabulous lineup of 177 teams for the 2025 French Rally Championship (CFR), categories that are more competitive than ever, and some great surprises. Here’s an overview and presentation of the first challenges of the season with the Drivers and Co-drivers Championships, CFR Team, Two-Wheel Drive Championship, “Michelin Trophy,” Women’s Championship supported by HDG, GT2i CFR FFSA Trophy, and the SMRC4!
Victorious at the start of the season and then French Champions to close the year, Léo Rossel and Guillaume Mercoiret will not defend their titles in 2025, having moved on to tackle WRC2. Thus, contenders for victory are plentiful, starting with Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud, who have clearly stated their intention for a sixth star. Others seeking redemption, Eric Camilli and Thibault De La Haye, are eager to perform well and secure their first victory on the Côte d’Opale for Rallye le Touquet. While these two teams stand out as favorites, the challengers are many, including Hugo Margaillan, Lucas Darmezin, Réhane Gany, Sarah Rumeau, Pablo Sarrazin, and, of course, Stéphane Lefebvre, a last-minute surprise entry and former winner at Le Touquet. Another great surprise is the participation of Matthieu and Mathilde Margaillan, reigning French Rally Cross Country Champions, who will undoubtedly be very fast throughout the season.
The CFR Team is at full capacity at the start of the season with no less than eight teams engaged: PH Sport by Minerva-Oil, Trajectus Motorsport, CHL Sport Auto, Sarrazin Motorsport Iron Lynx, 2C Compétition, Team Bonneton-HDG, AMD Motorsport, and VIP-Enjolras. Notably, as the battle rages among them all, the premier category will see for the first time the Citroën C3 Rally2, the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 Step2, the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, and the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 compete against each other.
The French Two-Wheel Drive Rally Championship will once again look impressive! Cédric Robert and Matthieu Duval will not miss the chance to defend their titles by upgrading to the GT+ version of the Alpine A110. Raphaël Astier, the 2023 champion, with Denis Giraudet, is determined to reclaim the crown on equal footing. Ludovic Godard and Frédéric Vauclare will join this duo in what promises to be a fantastic three-way battle.
The only manufacturer’s cup this weekend, the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup, has evolved significantly. Now called SMRC4 for the cup reserved for Peugeot 208 Rally4, Opel Corsa Rally, and Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 models, and SMRC6 for the Peugeot 208 Racing, which will start in the Vosges. Focus on SMRC4, which boasts an incredibly competitive and uniform field. Very promising in 2024, Quentin Vialatte must confirm, while Benjamin Stirling, Benjamin Barnouin, Eliott Delecour, Yohan Surroca, Loïc Costes, Matteo Codaccioni, Arthur Roché, Marijan Griebel, and Antoine Massé, among others, will be in hot pursuit.
The “guests” will be under the spotlight at Le Touquet. Famous YouTuber passionate about automobiles, “Etienne Moustache” will be the first personality to benefit from the “Ça va trop VIP” initiative set up by Yoann Bonato and IGOL. Alongside Jérôme Degout, he will discover the discipline with a Peugeot 208 Racing! Finally, Adrien Van Beveren, the local hero who achieved a podium at Dakar earlier this year, will make his third appearance in the CFR with a Citröen C3 Rally2.