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Romain Dumas takes second place in Rally du Var

At the wheel of his Porsche 997 GT3 RS, Romain Dumas took another podium spot on the national rally scene.

Ahead of a participation in the Grand Challenge of Alès (1-2 December), Romain Dumas took part in the French Rally Championship finale. At the wheel of his Porsche 997 GT3 RS, he took another podium spot on the national rally scene. After a third place in the Rallye Lyon-Charbonnières, the official Porsche driver finished the Rally du Var in second place. In the process, he won the GT+ class and took first place in the Michelin Trophy. A great way to conclude his « rally » season.

For his return to competition with the Porsche 997 GT3 RS, Romain Dumas was joined by co-driver Jean-Noël Vesperini, as his usual man Matthieu Baumel is preparing a Dakar participation. As a result, the new duo spent the first day on Friday getting used to each other. « We began cautiously» confirms Romain. « This first day was full of traps, most notably with a night stage, and my goal with rallying is always to accumulate as many kilometers as possible. Step by step we gained momentum. »

Romain Dumas switched to a new gear the next day, for the longest stage of the 58th Rallye du Var. From the first special stage of the day, he signed the fifth fastest time overall. He continued to work his way up the running order until he ended Saturday in third position in the overall classification. « The feeling was much better » explained the Frenchman. « I really attacked, with one goal in mind : widen the gap in the GT+ class. This attack paid off since we were also able to take several positions in the overall as well.»

In a position to renew his Rallye Lyon-Charbonnières performance, Romain Dumas was determined to seize the opportunity at the start of the last three specials. Two second place special stage finishes and the retirement of Robert Kubica meant Romain was now on the second step of the podium. « The last stage of the rally was difficult but positive. The rain was no help, but despite the weather we were competitive. That’s a very good thing, in addition to the good result in general. I had ambitions to take the GT+ class and the Michelin Trophy. Mission accomplished.with a competitive and perfectly reliable car, and a second place overall finish as a bonus. It’s a great satisfaction ! "

Romain Dumas looks back on a successful " rally " season : " With two podium finishes in the French Championship and a first participation in WRC, this year was very positive. I’m continuing my progression in rallying, mostly with my team, my friends, and this fabulous Porsche. Now we will look at 2013, knowing that my priority remains circuit racing and that the rally program will only be a bonus."

Source: Romain Dumas

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