24 Hours Off-Road France 2019: Historic SSV victory!

After a successful 27th edition, the Franco-Belgian crew Sébastien Guyette-Pascal Mercier-Maxime Fourmaux wins with his Can-Am X3, a grand premiere for an SSV in a race of 24 hours.

"This victory is the magnificent conclusion of a great season," said Pascal Mercier, a 60-year-old driver, and team-manager who has been racing in autocross and rallycross since the age of 16! "It was a challenge to race at the 24 Hours with our all-new car, the 2020 Can Am X3, which we prepared in eleven days. With my two other crew members, our tactic was to save the mechanics. Sébastien Guyette is a older driver, as the younger Maxime Fourmaux (29 years old) who plays the championship of France rallies off-road on his SSV is also very sharp. Now, our next goal is to prepare three SSV for the Dakar ... "

On the second place of the podium, there is another SSV from the 16 ssv present this year in the midst of 78 participants, the Can-Am of Autosport Competition team driven by Xavier Alibert, Laurent Guillot,  Joel Labille. "Our goal was to defend our second place in the championship, a successful goal with a bonus second-place finish. "

The podium was completed by the first car, the Mitsubishi Pajero of Igor Skoks-Rudolf Skoks and Arvis Pikis, Latvians faithful of the event, who won the category T1A3.

Another victory, that of the first 4x4 of the series, the Toyota KZJ n ° 94 Etruscan Racing which imposes in T2B: "If the victory in the championship should return to the crew of n ° 106, this 14th final place, as well as the victory in T2B, was very stressful until the end. This edition was exhausting, but it will remain as a good memory, "concluded Patrick Paronneau, team boss.

Winner of the 2018 Africa Race with Jean-Pierre Strugo, the MD Rallye Sport team has a superb buggy for the latter, a great lover of the 24 Hours. "This is our usual chassis, with its 7-liter Chevrolet V8 engine. Its long wheelbase is not ideal against small buggies, but I rely on the wisdom of our crew to know how to do a race and get a good result," says the winner of the edition

Source 24H TT