Benezet prevails in Rallycross France round at Pont de Ruan

Rallycross France’s visit to Pont de Ruan went from a dry and fast track to a wet and muddy mess that challenged everybody to keep the cars straight, and with the order being totally flipped over the course of the event, Eddy Benezet got the first win of the 2025 season in his Eleven Motorsport Peugeot 208 WRX, showing a dominant performance when it mattered the most.
 
The Qualifying was a result of the contrasts that the track had over the weekend, with dry weather allowing full throttle and full use of the track, while the wet weather on Sunday left the drivers tiptoeing in a slippery mess, when it was just slippery, considering that the exit of the first corner had a big puddle on the outside. Jonathan Pailler was the most consistent driver and topped the Intermediate table, with Davy Jeanney being second due to a Q2 retirement, while Damien and Julien Meunier followed Jeanney closely.
 
Semifinal 1 didn’t have the presence of the rain, but the loose surface sections were still pretty wet, leaving only the compact dirt at the racing line as the option to go. Julien Meunier chose to lead the race and leave the Joker to Lap 4, which positioned him exactly ahead of Eddy Benezet, David Vincent and Davy Jeanney. Even though the ideal line allowed the drivers to mantain stability, it wasn’t enough to allow harder acceleration, which kept the order as it was until the finish.
 
In the second Semifinal, Damien Meunier took the lead from the first corner, but the opposition led by Paillardon was set to give him a run for his money, with gaps between the five cars kept close until Emmanuel Moinel was the first to Joker, followed by Paillardon himself in order to undercut Meunier. Jonathan Pailler took the lead when Meunier went to the Joker on Lap 4, and the clean air allowed the Pailler Competition Peugeot 208 WRX to keep the top at the line, with Meunier and Paillardon really close to Pailler.
 
For the Final, the rain came back with less intensity, but still keeping the track really wet. Benezet took the lead while Jeanney was elbowed out of the track by Vincent, with Laurent Le Manac’h spinning a corner later, all in Lap 1. Benezet was safe for a moment as Julien Meunier was keeping Paillardon at bay. Paillardon fell down the order and Vincent was trapped by the Meunier brothers, which basically gave the gap that Benezet needed to win the race, with Vincent helping even more by overtaking Julien Meunier for the second place with a few corners to the finish line.
 
Rallycross France Pont de Ruan - Event results
 
Davy Jeanney still holds the lead with 139 points despite the below average weekend at Pont de Ruan, while Jonathan Pailler approached a little with 113 points and Damien Meunier appears in third with 109. The 2025 schedule will continue with the fifth round at Kerlabo on 27 July.
 
PHOTO: Rallycross France