Pont De Ruan (France) — 18 July 2016; A consistent pace and strong performance by Dumfries and Galloway based Albatec Racing and Philippe Maloigne in Pont De Ruan this weekend saw the Frenchman easily qualify for his fourth consecutive French RX Final. Piloting the #21 SamShield-backed Peugeot 208 RX Supercar, Philippe added to his points tally by finishing fourth, to keep his championship title aspirations firmly on track.
Philippe quickly demonstrated the pace that saw him victorious at Chateauroux, starting the weekend with the second fastest time in Saturday’s practice session. In the day’s opening qualifying race, he finished sixth overall, and posted the second fastest overall lap to underline his increasing potential as a serious championship contender.
In heat two Philippe took the race win, to top the overall times, but a faster final qualifying race bumped him down to third. A slower qualifying race three on Sunday morning saw him tenth, but his seventh place in the final heat reaffirmed his strong position and allowed him to comfortably take up his position in the semi-finals.
Third place in the seven lap race was just enough to guarantee him a place in the all-important Final, where he finished fourth to maintain his 100% record of points-scoring finishes. Philippe will return to race action in round six of the French Rallycross Championship at Kerlabo which takes place over the weekend of 30&31 July.
Points after five rounds
1. Firmin Cadeddu 157
2. Alexandre Theuil 151
3. Fabien Chanoine 142
4. Andreá Dubourg 130
5. Florent Beduneau 113
6. Philippe Maloigne 111
Andy Scott, Team Principal Albatec Racing :
“It’s been another great weekend for Philippe, where he drove another very impressive race among an incredibly strong and competitive French RX field. These drivers are some of the best racers in France and to be in a position to be setting fast lap times, as well as consistently qualifying for the Final is testament to his increasing confidence and competence behind the wheel.”
Philippe Maloigne, driver Albatec Racing :
“I’m very happy with the outcome from the weekend. We started off well with a good practice session, so I was immediately confident that we could be challenging for race wins. We didn’t manage to get overall heat wins, but the pace is there and was consistent across the weekend.
“To come away with another place in the Final and a fourth place to add to my points is a great result. The team did a great job again, and the car was competitive and reliable throughout. It means we head to the next round in a strong position where I hope to be challenging for outright victory.”
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