CAMPANA POWERS TO PODIUM IN CLIO TROPHY

Campana 1 small CAMPANA POWERS TO PODIUM IN CLIO TROPHY

French driver Pierre Campana has claimed second place in the hotly-fought Renault Clio R3 class on the Rallye du Var, the final round of the French Championship. The 24-year-old was in the lead right up until the final two stages, when a puncture dropped him down the order.

Nonetheless, second place means that he finishes with a podium result in the overall West European Clio Trophy - despite taking part in only two rallies. Combined with a spectacular win in Sanremo two months ago, the Rallye du Var result has underlined Campana's status a real star of the future.

The all-asphalt Rallye du Var is based in the coastal resort of Sainte Maxime on the famous Cote d'Azur in France. Containing a challenging variety of mountain roads, it proved a stern test for all the competitors. Heavy rain on the final day made the conditions even more delicate, and as always, tyre choice was crucial.

The rally started on Friday with three stages, run in mixed wet and dry conditions. Despite experiencing a few problems with shock absorber settings, Pierre led after the opening leg. He extended his lead during the second day to pull out a 39-second advantage and claim 11th overall, despite losing more than 40 seconds with a spin on some loose gravel in the morning.

But a puncture on the final morning meant that he had to concede victory, after a thrilling fight to the finish. Sunday's three stages were run in heavy rain, and Pierre also had to stop at one point to de-mist his windscreen.

However, the Corsican and his co-driver Sabrina de Castelli were absolutely delighted with their performance on their first visit to the challenging Rallye du Var. As usual, Pierre's Munaretto-run Renault Clio carried backing from his long-time sponsor Yacco and used tyres supplied by BFGoodrich.

"It's a great way to finish the season, and to claim third overall in the West European Clio Trophy, despite having only two participations, is an unexpected bonus," concluded Pierre, who is managed by Quadra Sports. "I've enjoyed a fantastic year and there are several people who I would like to thank. Yacco's support has been invaluable and BFGoodrich have supplied us with some excellent tyres. I'd also like to thank Munaretto for building a consistently good car, and Quadra Sports for their help and guidance. We've faced some really big challenges this year, but it's been our most successful season yet. Now I really look forward to continuing this adventure in 2010, and we will be finalising our plans over the next month or so."