Alpine A290 Rally Trophy: Melvin Rabilloud strikes early at Le Touquet

To open its first full season, the Alpine A290 Rally Trophy could hardly have wished for a sterner proving ground than Rallye Le Touquet – Pas-de-Calais. A cornerstone event of the French championship, held since 1959, it remains one of the most demanding rounds on the calendar. Narrow roads, fast sections, often dirty asphalt and unpredictable weather: everything conspires to catch crews out and reward the most clear-headed.

In this typically northern setting, the debut of the Alpine A290 Rallye in the French Rally Championship was eagerly anticipated. Ten crews were on the entry list, with a field mixing experienced profiles, newcomers and female pairings. Alpine had put in place a rigorous framework — dedicated technical support, strict sporting fairness and optimised charging solutions — but, as is so often the case at Le Touquet, the hierarchy took shape naturally, stage after stage.

Right from the start, Aymeric Lenoir and co-driver Florian Hosson set a very strong pace. Two consecutive fastest stage times allowed them to seize control with authority, dropping Melvin Rabilloud and Enzo Mahinc by more than thirteen seconds at midday. It was an early warning for the defending champions.

But true to its reputation, Le Touquet wasted no time in reshuffling the pack. The afternoon became a balancing act: rain, fog and gusting winds made conditions extremely treacherous. In that context, outright speed gave way to consistency and adaptability.

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Alpine A290 Rally Trophy: Rabilloud capitalises as Lenoir’s charge unravels

The real turning point of the rally came in Hucqueliers – Parenty, the longest stage of the event. Aymeric Lenoir, then in the lead, seemed poised to build a decisive gap thanks to a bold tyre choice and obvious confidence at the wheel.

But rallying, a discipline defined by uncertainty, delivered its verdict without warning: a technical problem abruptly ended his hopes. In the space of a few kilometres, the complexion of the event changed completely.

Melvin Rabilloud and Enzo Mahinc then inherited the lead. And it was precisely at that pivotal moment that they made the difference. Without overplaying their hand, without trying to crush the opposition, they built their victory methodically, managing both the conditions and the traps of an ever-unpredictable road to perfection.

Behind them, the battle for the podium provided one of the highlights of the weekend. Denis Ridel, partnered by Gaëtan Debec, was impressively consistent on his first appearance at this level. He managed to hold on to second place by just one and a half seconds over Marc Lance and Freddy Lance, who mounted a strong recovery after a cautious start to the rally.

Samuel Hoarau and Laurent Descamps, long in the mix for the podium, eventually fell just short of the top three by only a handful of seconds.

Among the standout moments, the performance of Emma Chalvin and Amandine Borderie deserves special mention. Fifth at the finish, they stopped in the stage to assist Benoît Mouquet and Pierre Hermant after a heavy accident. A gesture that served as a reminder that, despite the intensity of competition, the DNA of rallying remains profoundly human.

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A championship underway, with the pecking order still taking shape

With this victory, secured after 115 kilometres against the clock, Melvin Rabilloud logically moves to the top of the Alpine A290 Rally Trophy standings with 42 points. He leads Denis Ridel on 28 points and Marc Lance on 23, while Samuel Hoarau and Emma Chalvin complete the top five.

But beyond the raw numbers, this opening round above all revealed one essential truth: the hierarchy remains fragile. Despite his retirement, Aymeric Lenoir showed front-running pace. Denis Ridel has already established himself as a serious outsider, while Marc Lance demonstrated his ability to build speed as the event unfolded.

From a technical standpoint, the Alpine A290 Rallye is also continuing to reset the benchmarks. Driving it demands fine adaptation: managing instant torque, precise placement and a constant reading of changing grip levels. Several drivers acknowledged it indirectly — you have to relearn, adjust and sometimes unpick habits inherited from internal-combustion cars.

It is precisely this collective learning phase that gives the trophy so much of its current richness. The gaps remain tight, the profiles varied and the scope for improvement still considerable.

The next round will take place from June 12 to 14 at Rallye Vosges Grand Est. A different, generally more flowing terrain that could reshuffle the cards. But one thing is already certain: Melvin Rabilloud and Enzo Mahinc have taken an early edge, both on the scoreboard and psychologically, in a season that promises to be far more closely contested than it may first appear.

What they said

Melvin Rabilloud:

“It really wasn’t easy. There was strong competition up front and that was motivating, but we also had to deal with mechanical issues, a puncture and difficult weather conditions. Even so, we are very happy to have made it to the finish.

Personally, I really wanted to finish this event. Five years ago, I had a major accident here that kept me away from rallying for several years. Just being on the start line was already a victory in itself, so reaching the finish obviously has a very special flavour.

It’s a small revenge on life and I’m very proud of that. Looking ahead, we’ll need to maintain the same level of commitment and preparation before every rally. The roads at Rallye Vosges Grand Est will probably suit the car a bit better, which could help us unlock even more performance from it. In any case, we’ll have to keep working twice as hard as everyone else if we want to stay in front.”

Denis Ridel:

“I couldn’t have hoped for better for a first appearance in the French Rally Championship. If someone had told me beforehand that we would achieve such a result, I wouldn’t have believed it. We came here above all to discover the championship and enjoy a good weekend.

The result was almost secondary, even though we are obviously very proud of it, especially as it was no fluke. In the final stage it was incredibly close, but we gave absolutely everything and the one-and-a-half-second advantage we had was enough to hold on to the position. The whole team did an excellent job over the winter, we prepared well and approached this event seriously.

Some crews are operating at a higher level and, for the moment, I think they still have a little more speed than we do. We’ll keep working to improve, and it would already be a great satisfaction to stay in touch throughout the season. We have no pretensions of aiming for victory just yet, but we want to keep learning and getting closer to the best.”

Marc Lance:

“Rather ironically, we got going a bit like an old diesel. On Friday, we contested our first stages with the Alpine A290 Rallye. We had a lot of apprehension and we weren’t really confident.

We told ourselves that we had to start again from scratch on Saturday and get going on a better footing. It paid off because we set the second-fastest time twice, with stage times close to Melvin’s. That allowed us to climb back onto the podium, just one and a half seconds away from second place.

So we can be satisfied with that recovery. Driving this car is really different from what we are used to. I thought we would be up to speed more quickly, but it took us a little time to adapt and I’m really pleased with our Saturday.”

Results – Alpine A290 Rally Trophy

e-Rallye Le Touquet Paris-Plage 2026

Overall standings – 2026 Alpine A290 Rally Trophy (after Le Touquet)

Standings – Alpine Store Challenge

Source: Alpine Cars