Boucles Chevrotines 2024 Report

Scott Barnes and Andy Hall were on for an incredible result at last weekends Boucles Chevrotines Rally but their storming run was brought to a premature end by an electrical issue half way through the event.

The Wallonia based event was the fourth round of this years Flanders International Rally Challenge and the team were hoping to continue their strong start to the championship campaign.

The recce was held on Saturday, being their first time on these stages (like at every event this year), the crew had their work cut out, making a large number of changes to the pacenotes they had prepared before the event. A lot of time and effort went in to refining the notes and come the end of the day Scott and Andy were feeling happy and confident with the job they had done.

Overnight rain meant that Sunday mornings stages would  feature some damp patches in places, particularly under the tree’s, so soft Michelin tyres were bolted onto the 106 Rallye and the crew headed out to contest the first pair of stages.

Stage 1, Montbliart, consisted of 13.9km of closed roads through the local countryside. The feeling in the car was good with the team feeling like they could push on. Scott and Andy sensibly picked their places to push, being conservative in some sections, but as has been the theme this year, when the stage times were in it was in an impressive start. The team found themselves at the front of the FIRC field, with a 4 second advantage over last years champions Rene Walraven and Joyce Ruiter, as well as taking the lead in Class 4/12.

Stage 2, Rance, was further away from the rally’s base in Sivry and had it’s own different set of characteristics- very long straights linked with fast corners saw the Peugeot 106 at the top of 6th gear multiple times, coupled with lots of tree cover which meant damp patches could be lurking around any corner ready to catch you out. A real challenge and one for the brave. Despite this, a solid drive from Scott meant that he extended the FIRC lead, knowing that there was more pace to come when conditions dried.

The crew headed back to service where the team gave the car a quick check over, filled the water bottles, and sent Scott and Andy back on their way for the second pair of new stages.

The first section of Stage 3, Grandrieu Show, was a very tight section between banks, with very broken tarmac, tree roots pushed the sides of the road up in places, and the road had grass running down the middle. Scott and Andy had to be very neat and precise, threading the needle in the narrow lanes. The stage included one lapped section so the crew could get more familiar here. Speeds were again very high, much higher than anticipated after the recce, with the 1600cc Peugeot engine screaming for the majority of the stage. The average speed set on the stage was over 70mph for the team. The bigger power competition could really stretch its legs in here, with Tim Freeman and Paul Williams in their Mk2 Escort clawing back some time in here to now only lie 4 seconds behind Barnes and Hall in the FIRC standings, with Walraven/Ruiter a further 2 seconds back. The team had to keep pushing, the pressure was on.

Scott felt least familiar with Stage 4, Sivry, but was able to put full trust in Andy and commit to the pacenotes thanks to the hard work done on the recce. The team felt elated to have completed the first loop. Tim Freeman in the Escort had posted a cracking time on this stage, and had taken the lead of the FIRC.

During a quick 10 minute service the decision was made to switch on to medium compound Michelin’s on the front of the 106, as the team were confident that the damp patches would have cleared as the sun had started to break through.

The crew brought the mediums up to temperature in the beginning of Stage 5 and quickly found more confidence in the harder Michelin rubber. On this repeat of Stage 1, Montbliart, Scott found himself a gear up in some places when comparing with the previous run through. The car was feeling settled and the suspension was soaking up everything they could throw at it, including a big compression through a dip, flat in 6th gear. The FIRC battle was really heating up, with the top three crews only separated by 2 seconds through this stage, after 8 minutes of flat out driving!

Onto Stage 6 and it was clear that the medium tyres were the right choice with conditions now almost fully dry. Scott and Andy went on a big push try and claw back some time from Freeman/Williams in the Mk2. Unfortunately 2km into the stage the little 106 cut out completely and the developed a misfire down one of the stages long straights. Scott experimented with the throttle position and was able to keep the car going, but as soon as the engine was put under any major load it would cut out, only coming back to life when Scott came off throttle. The crew managed to limp the car through the remainder of the 11km stage and dropped around a minute. This meant they had now dropped to third in the FIRC standings, but were still leading class 4/12.The team headed back to service knowing that if they could fix the issues they could still have a go at catching their FIRC rivals. Unfortunately with limited time in service there just wasn’t enough time to diagnose and repair the car before going OTL and with some other issues also raising their head we had to call it a day. Such a shame after the incredible pace and super enjoyable stages, it’s one that the team hope to return to again in the future.

After Stage 5, before the issue occurred, Scott and Andy were lying 13 seconds ahead of their main championship rivals and last years FIRC champions, Walraven and Ruiter. They were also leading Class 4/12 by a massive 1 minute and 21 seconds, ahead of Stephane Delporte in his Peugeot Sport built 208 R2 Max Evo. Looking at the results at the end of the event, they could have been on for a top 5 overall finish, which would have been an incredible achievement. Unfortunately another case of what could have been!

Scott would like to say a massive thank you to his service crew who tried their hardest to get the car back out, and were so close to doing so.

Scott adds “A big thank you to my partners for their continued help this year making it possible to enjoy these amazing events and showing what a 106 can do!”.Scott and Andy’s next round of the FIRC championship is Rally Hemicuda in October, but we may have some more exciting news coming soon- watch this space!