Lefebvre eyes JWRC crown in France
Frenchman on verge of securing Junior honours
Lefebvre secures Junior WRC title in France
Alastair Fisher won the FIA Junior WRC category at Rally de France – Alsace on Sunday, but fourth for Stéphane Lefebvre was sufficient for him to claim the title with one round remaining.
Fisher, 26, took the lead in the final stage of the first day, when early pacesetter Frédéric Hauswald retired. The Northern Irishman became the third JWRC winner of the season, heading Eric Camilli by 50.9sec.
Fisher said: “To win in France against all the French drivers is a great result for us. I’ve always been quick on asphalt and I felt particularly comfortable on the stages. I benefited from a really good recce, and I hope we can continue at this level on the last round in Britain.”
Lefebvre ended the opening leg sixth, but three stage wins on Saturday propelled him to second. Caution was the name of the game through the final day and he dropped two positions as he steered clear of problems to secure the title.
“I don’t have words to describe how I feel,” said the 22-year-old Frenchman. “Since the start of the season we have worked incredibly hard watching hours and hours of videos. That’s maybe our secret – work and a good memory!”
Lefebvre wins a prize drive in a Citroen DS3 R5 for a six-round programme in WRC2 next season.
Third in France was Quentin Giordano, with Yohan Rossel taking fifth behind Lefebvre. Aron Domzala was sixth with Martin Koči seventh, the Slovakian restarting after retiring with brake problems.
Kornel Lukacs and Simone Tempestini both crashed out on the first day.
All drivers were at the wheel of Citroen DS3 R3s and the final round is at Wales Rally GB (13 – 16 November).
