Victorious in Antibes, Raphaël Astier kept his momentum and instantly took the lead. With the fastest time in the Col de Mandray special stage, the CHL Sport Auto driver relegated Florian Bernardi, Grégory Fontalba, Mireille Vidueira and Francis Michel to more than 20 seconds. The leader then hammered home his advantage in Pays d'Ormont and Moyenmoutier.
Driving his Alpine A110 Rallye GT+, Raphaël Astier repeated his performance in the second loop and added the Géoparc stage to his tally. Also battling at the front of the overall classification against the best Rally2 cars from the French Rally Championship, he ended the first leg with over a two-minute lead over Florian Bernardi while Grégory Fontalba and Mireille Vidueira remained in ambush.
Saturday's scorching temperatures gave way to wetter weather on Sunday. Despite the change in conditions, Raphaël Astier continued his dominance in Corcieux, Taintrux and Mortagne in the morning and afternoon to secure a comfortable victory in the Alpine ELF Rally Trophy.
Florian Bernardi confirmed his promising debut in Antibes by gradually pulling away from Grégory Fontalba and Mireille Vidueira to seal second place and his first success in the RGT class. Third-placed Grégory Fontalba did enough to retain the Alpine ELF Rally Trophy lead.
ALPINE WINS AGAIN ON THE NATIONAL SCENE
Fourth overall and GT+ winner Raphaël Astier also won round four of the French 2WD Rally Championship, extending Alpine's consecutive victory streak to 37.
With a one-two finish in the Michelin Premium Trophy, the crews of Quentin Gilbert - Christopher Guieu and Cédric Robert - Matthieu Duval completed a two-wheel drive podium dominated by the A110 Rallye GT+. The A-arrow brand even swept the top five places in the category, with the A110 Rally cars of Florian Bernardi - Xavier Castex and Grégory Fontalba - Stephan Hermet rounding out the top five.
Lastly, Mireille Viduera and Jeanne Rey claimed their second victory of 2025 in the French Women's Rally Championship, putting them back at the top of the general classification.
The Alpine Elf Rally Trophy competitors will return to the special stages in September at the Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine (4-6 September).
QUOTES
Florian Bernardi: "I'm super happy to score my first win with Alpine in only my second rally in the car. It was a new event for me, with big cuts and wet conditions. It was a steep learning curve, but we performed well and were close to the top two-wheel drive cars. It shows that we keep improving, no matter what. On some stages where I felt less comfortable, I stayed cautious and avoided taking unnecessary risks. After missing Rallye Rhône Charbonnières and retiring at Antibes, this is a crucial win for the rest of the season, and I will do my utmost to be at Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine."
Grégory Fontalba: "Rallye Vosges Grand Est was new to us, with roads and weather conditions not necessarily suited to the Alpine's qualities. We had to adjust the setup throughout the weekend. The goal was to bring home points, and we took a well-deserved second place after a minor incident on Saturday that prevented us from getting back into contention. We're still happy to head to the next round with the championship lead. See you at Mont-Blanc."
Rallye Vosges Grand Est
1. Raphaël Astier – Denis Giraudet (GT+) 1h41’54’’0
2. Florian Bernardi – Xavier Castex (RGT) +6’12’’8
3. Grégory Fontalba – Stephan Hermet (RGT) +9’11’’8
4. Mireille Vidueira – Jeanne Rey (RGT) +16’11’’8
DNF. Francis Michel – Cédric Siffert (RGT)
Alpine ELF Rally Trophy provisional classifications*
Overall
1. Grégory Fontalba 42 points
2. Raphaël Astier 40 points
3. Florian Bernardi 27 points
4. Pierre Roché 20 points
5. Mireille Vidueira 20 points
6. Fabrice Bect 12 points
7. Francis Michel 0 point
GT+ Category
1. Raphaël Astier 40 points
2. Pierre Roché 20 points
RGT Category
1. Grégory Fontalba 55 points
2. Florian Bernardi 35 points
3. Mireille Vidueira 24 points
4. Fabrice Bect 15 points
5. Francis Michel 0 point
*subject to competing in at least two rallies during the season
