Swiss Hillclimb Championship drivers gathered on the Fribourg roads between Châtel-Saint-Denis and Les Paccots over the weekend for a 2,325-meter event that drew a dozen competitors from the Jura region, according to regional race reporting. Swiss driver Robin Faustini set the pace in his Nova MP01, dominating the scratch category with a time of 1 minute, 35.839 seconds under favorable weather conditions.
Jimmy Froidevaux Leads Jurassien Contingent at Les Paccots
Among the visiting regional drivers, Jimmy Froidevaux of Charmoille recorded the fastest time for the Jura delegation. Driving a Norma M20F, he finished seventh overall in the scratch standings and claimed third place in the E2 SportCars class for vehicles up to 2,000 cc with a time of 1:55.937.
Class victories across the regional contingent highlighted several notable performances. Sylvain Chariatte of Courgenay captured the SuperSérie category behind the wheel of a Honda Integra Type R, stopping the clock at 2:29.646. Jean-Louis Fleury of Châtelat secured first place in the 2,001 to 2,500 cc class using an Opel Ascona B with a time of 2:42.997.
Class Standings and Regional Category Results
In the InterSwiss category for engines displacing 1,601 to 2,000 cc, Arnaud Donzé of Bure finished second in a VW Golf HPR at 2:02.654. David Rossé of Soyhières placed 15th in a VW Golf 3 16V at 2:20.049, while François Baume of Courtedoux took 20th in a VW Golf GTI at 2:44.637.
Competition in the E1 category for 1,601 to 2,000 cc machines saw Fabien Houlmann of Montmelon secure second place in a Peugeot 205 at 2:03.340, followed by Grég Huguenin of Le Cerneux-Péquignot in sixth place aboard a Renault Clio 2 Maxi RS in 2:18.445. In the 2,001 to 2,500 cc E1 class, Hugo Mascaro of Bure finished third in a BMW E30 at 2:07.336. Julia Bieri of Alle added a second-place finish in the regional InterSwiss classification driving a Renault Clio 2 RS in 2:34.819.
Rally Prep in France and Hillclimb Finishes Abroad
Away from the Fribourg mountain course, other regional drivers competed in France and Belgium. Clément Piquerez and Caroline Ioset travelled to Bourg-en-Bresse for the Rallye du Suran across 130 kilometers of special stages. Driving a Citroën C2, they finished eighth in the R2 class among 14 competitors and 75th overall out of 156 entries. Piquerez described the outing as an encouraging return to competition following the Critérium jurassien ahead of their planned appearance at the Rallye du Valais in late October.
In the Belgian Ardennes, Sébastien Joray contested the Mont Sainte-Cécile hillclimb in a BMW E35. He won his class, taking seventh among touring cars and 17th in the scratch standings to close out his season. Meanwhile, Thierry Mathez entered the opening race at the Charade circuit near Clermont-Frrande in homage to a recently deceased acquaintance. After expressing satisfaction with his car’s performance but remaining emotionally drained, Mathez withdrew from the second race.
