Jurassian motorsport competitors delivered a series of standout performances across European hill climb and rally circuits over the weekend, highlighted by Jimmy Froidevaux’s rapid run at the Swiss Hillclimb Championship round between Châtel-Saint-Denis and Les Paccots.
Froidevaux leads Jurassian contingent in Fribourg mountains
The Swiss Hillclimb Championship stop on the Fribourg routes covered a demanding 2,325-meter course, drawing roughly a dozen drivers from the Jura region. Aargau driver Robin Faustini set the overall pace in his Nova MP01, clocking a winning scratch time of 1 minute, 35.839 seconds amid favorable weather conditions.
Among the regional competitors, Jimmy Froidevaux of Charmoille emerged as the fastest Jurassian driver. Piloting a Norma M20F, Froidevaux captured seventh place overall and finished third in the E2 SportCars category for engines up to 2,000 cc with a time of 1:55.937. Additional class victories and podium finishes followed across multiple divisions:
- SuperSérie: Sylvain Chariatte of Courgenay secured victory in his Honda Integra Type R in 2:29.646.
- Classic (up to 2,000 cc): Robin Terrier of Coeuve took the win in an Opel Astra F GSI 16V (2:27.244), ahead of Patrick Röthlisberger of Eschert in a Fiat 131 Racing Gr. 2 (2:43.213).
- Classic (2,001 to 2,500 cc): Jean-Louis Fleury of Châtelat placed first in his Opel Ascona B at 2:42.997.
- InterSwiss (1,601 to 2,000 cc): Arnaud Donzé of Bure finished second in a VW Golf HPR (2:02.654), followed by David Rossé of Soyhières in 15th (2:20.049) and François Baume of Courtedoux in 20th (2:44.637).
- E1 (1,601 to 2,000 cc): Fabien Houlmann of Montmelon took second in his Peugeot 205 (2:03.340), while Grég Huguenin of Le Cerneux-Péquignot placed sixth in a Renault Clio 2 Maxi RS (2:18.445). Hugo Mascaro of Bure claimed third in the 2,001 to 2,500 cc class with a BMW E30 (2:07.336).
- Régionale: Julia Bieri of Alle secured second in Interswiss with her Renault Clio 2 RS (2:34.819).
Rally campaigns in France and Belgium
Beyond the Swiss mountains, Jurassian competitors tested themselves on international tarmac. Clément Piquerez and co-driver Caroline Ioset traveled to Bourg-en-Bresse, France, for the Rallye du Suran on June 8. Covering 130 kilometers of special stages in their Citroën C2, the crew finished eighth in the R2 class out of 14 entrants and 75th overall among 156 starters. For the Prévôtois driver, the outing served as an encouraging return to competition following the Critérium jurassien ahead of October’s Rallye du Valais.
Meanwhile, fellow Prévôtois competitor Sébastien Joray crossed into the Belgian Ardennes to contest the Mont Sainte-Cécile hill climb in a BMW E35. Joray won his class, finishing seventh among touring cars and 17th in the overall scratch standings to close out his season.
On the circuit racing front, Thierry Mathez entered the opening race at the Circuit de Charade near Clermont-Ferrand, France, dedicating his run to a recently deceased acquaintance. While Mathez expressed satisfaction with the performance of his car, he chose to withdraw from the second race due to emotional fatigue.
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