Maiden Clio Cup victory for Lannepoudenx

Mathieu Lannepoudenx (Milan Compétition) scored his first Clio Cup victory Monday at the Paul Armagnac Circuit in Nogaro. Initially second, the driver from Aire-sur-l’Adour won close to home by inheriting first place after the penalty imposed on David Pouget (GPA Racing). Nicolas Milan (Milan Compétition) and Alexandre Finkelstein (GPA Racing) joined the Challenger on the podium at the end of a race that also saw Fabien Julia (LR Performance) win the Racers Cup.

Sunday pole winner David Pouget repeated the feat on the Gers track in the qualifying to lead a GPA Racing hat-trick with teammates Alexandre Finkelstein and Alexandre Albouy. Mathieu Lannepoudenx and Florian Venturi (GM Sport) followed, with Nicolas Milan sixth thanks to his final run.

David Pouget kept the lead at the start while Mathieu Lannepoudenx jumped from fourth to second place ahead of Alexandre Finkelstein, Nicolas Milan and Alexandre Albouy. Further back in the field, the fight was even more intense, with contact between Milan Compétition teammates Jordi Palomeras and Jérémy Bordagaray and the retirement of Yann-Maël Navillod (GPA Racing), resulting in a safety car period.

The race resumed two laps later. David Pouget maintained his advantage, while on lap seven Alexandre Finkelstein was caught by Nicolas Milan. The race reached a turning point when David Pouget was penalised ten seconds for incorrect positioning on the grid. Determined to increase the gap, the leader did his best to distance himself from his pursuers despite the slipstream effect. However, the Tarnese driver took advantage of the duel between Mathieu Lannepoudenx and Nicolas Milan to pull away. Further back, Florian Coruble (GM Sport) and Florian Venturi battled for sixth place.

First to cross the finish line, David Pouget dropped to sixth place after his penalty was applied. Challenger Mathieu Lannepoudenx inherited the win, his first in the Clio Cup, ahead of Nicolas Milan and Alexandre Finkelstein. Alexandre Albouy finished fourth, while Jérémy Bordagaray was penalised 25 seconds for causing a collision with Jordi Palomeras. As a result, Aurélien Renet (JSB Competition), Alejandro Schimpf (AST Competition), Adrian Schimpf (AST Competition) and Guillaume Maio (GM Sport) all moved up one position, as did Fabien Julia, tenth overall and winner among the Racers.

In the Clio Cup Series general classification, Nicolas Milan extended his lead to 17 points over Alexandre Albouy at the end of the season-opening round. Challengers Mathieu Lannepoudenx and Alexandre Finkelstein are close behind, while David Pouget completes the top five.

CLIO CUP FRANCE

Sunday’s winner Nicolas Milan doubled up on Monday. Alexandre Finkelstein and Alexandre Albouy joined him on the Clio Cup France podium. Nicolas Milan now has a 22-point lead over his closest rival, Alexandre Albouy. Winner in the Challengers Cup ahead of Aurélien Renet and Mickaël Carrée (T2CM), Alexandre Finkelstein also scored maximum points in his category to extend his advantage over the chase group led by Aurélien Renet. In the Racers Cup, Fabien Julia inherited first place ahead of Lionel Viguier (T2CM) and Laurent Dziadus (Team Lucas), and now leads the class. 

CLIO CUP ESPAÑA

Mathieu Lannepoudenx won in Clio Cup España, beating Alejandro Schimpf and Adrian Schimpf in a 100% Challengers podium after Jeremy Bordagaray’s penalty. Thanks to his third-place finish, Adrian Schimpf leads Mathieu Lannepoudenx by three points in the general classification, and both drivers also lead the Challengers Cup. In the Racers Cup, Sergio Casalins (Motorismo Racing Team) inherited the win at the expense of Jérémy Bordagaray. The Spaniard is now level on points with his rival, while Alejandro Romero (Team VRT) finished third in the class.

The next round of the Clio Cup Series will take competitors to the Autodromo Nazionale Monza (Italy) from 21-23 April, where Clio Cup Europe, Clio Cup Italia and Clio Cup Mid-Europe will begin their respective 2023 seasons.

Mathieu Lannepoudenx: “This first win makes me hungry for more! I was extremely pleased with my start. I immediately found the drive to gain two positions, especially by diving under Alexandre Finkelstein. I tried to stay with David, but he was consistently faster. I am sorry for him, but that’s the way the rules are. Compared to my debut, I have less trouble finding my pace. This is one of the areas where I have improved the most thanks to the experience I have gained over the years.”

Qualifying - Starting grid - Race - Clio Cup Series - Clio Cup España - Clio Cup France

All results and standings to be confirmed after further technical scrutineering.