Jerome Grosset-Janin moved into the points lead of the French Rallycross Championship at the weekend with victory in round 4 of the 2011 season at Chateauroux.
The Renault Clio III RS WRC driver moved ahead of Samuel Peu in the standings thanks to a narrow 0.442 second victory over the Peugeot 207 WRC driver in the Division 1 A Final and now boasts a two-point advantage over his closest rival heading into the next event at Lavare later this month.
Alexandre Theuil (VW Golf) completed the podium places in the premier category ahead of Georges Orre (Citroen Xsara) who was competing in his first A Final of the season.
Philippe Tollemer (Citroen C4) held onto third in the standings with fifth place, while the similar car of Christophe Wilt completed the finishers in the final in sixth.
There was a surprise in the Division 1A final when Fabien Chanoine took his first victory of the season. The Dacia Sandero driver hadn’t made it through to the weekend-ending race so far this season but enjoyed the Chateauroux track, taking a 0.577 second win ahead of Laurent Chartrain (Citroen Saxo Kit Car).
David Olivier (Renault Twingo 2) moved into the championship lead with a third place as Steven Bossard, who had won every round so far, failed to score. Maximilien Eveno (Dacia Logan), Eric Guillemette (Renault Clio S1600) and Adeline Sangnier (Citroen Saxo) completed the running in the final.
Christophe Saunois (Toyota Corolla) scored his first win of the season in Division 3, beating points leader Marc Morize (Peugeot 207) in the A Final, while Patrick Guillerme (Peugeot 307 V6) completed the podium.
In Division 4, Yvonnick Jagu (Audi A3) returned to the top step of the podium and extended his lead over Benjamin Godot (Citroen Saxo VTS) who could only manage third. David Vincent split the title challengers with second place in his Renault Clio II Maxi.
French Rallycross Championship results – Round 4, Chateauroux
Division 1 A Final
1 Jerome Grosset-Janin, Renault Clio III RS WRC, 6 laps, 3:46.993
2 Samuel Peu, Peugeot 207 WRC, +0.442
3 Alexandre Theuil, VW Golf, +1.034
4 Georges Orre, Citroen Xsara, +3.763
5 Philippe Tollemer, Citroen C4, +4.811
6 Christophe Wilt, Citroen C4 WRC, +8.484
Division 1A A Final
1 Fabien Chanoine, Dacia Sandero, 6 laps, 4:01.821
2 Laurent Chartrain, Citroen Saxo Kit Car, +0.577
3 David Olivier, Renault Twingo 2, +2.711
4 Maximilien Eveno, Dacia Logan, +3.705
5 Eric Guillemette, Renault Clio S1600, +4.067
6 Adeline Sangnier, Citroen Saxo, +5.226
Division 3 A Final
1 Christophe Saunois, Toyota Corolla, 6 laps, 4:00.488
2 Marc Morize, Peugeot 207, +0.702
3 Patrick Guillerme, Peugeot 307 V6, +1.958
4 Florent Beduneau, Austin Mini Cooper V6, +2.352
5 Henri Navail, Renault Clio T3F, +2.717
6 Benoit Morel, Renault Clio 2, +5.409
Division 4 A Final
1 Yvonnick Jagu, Audi A3, 6 laps, 4:00.488
2 David Vincent, Renault Clio II Maxi, +5.086
3 Benjamin Godot, Citroen Saxo VTS, +5.148
4 Jean-Louis Poirier, Honda Civic R, +6.273
5 Ivan Bedouet, Peugeot 306 Maxi, +6.910
Championship Standings (after 4 rounds)
Division 1
1 Jerome Grosset-Janin, 69pts
2 Samuel Peu, 67
3 Philippe Tollemer, 56
Division 1A
1 David Olivier, 64
2 Steven Bossard, 60
3 Laurent Chartrain, 58
Division 3
1 Marc Morize, 57
2 Christophe Saunois, 49
3 Patrick Guillerme, 41
Division 4
1 Yannick Jagu, 55
2 Benjamin Godot, 48
3 Jean-Louis Poirier, 38
Next round: 18-19 June, Lavare
Watch French Rallycross highlights from Chateauroux this Friday at 8:00pm (BST) on Motors TV.
Andy Wilkinson
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