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A class win at the French Slalom Cup Final, three leading contenders and an 18 October deadline: the inaugural season of the Trophée Alpine A290 Régional is reaching its decisive stage. Beyond the points battle, the series is also putting the Alpine A290 Rallye to the test in grassroots motorsport, from rally stages to hillclimbs.
Denis Ridel still leads, Pascal Janel remains within striking distance and Benoît Mouquet has got his season back on track. In the standings published by Alpine on 1 October 2026, the three drivers have 300, 272 and 216 points respectively. That leaves just 28 points between the top two, with Mouquet 84 behind the leader. When the announcement was issued on 2 October, three weekends remained for drivers to improve their scores.
The standout result since the summer break, however, came at Croix-en-Ternois. At the French Slalom Cup Final, Mouquet secured the A290 Rallye’s first FRCE group and e-Rally5 class wins at the event. It marks a milestone for Alpine’s electric hatchback, though the distinction matters: the Calais driver finished 30th among the 74 finalists in his series. This was a category victory, rather than an outright win.
A series that lets drivers choose their own events
Introduced for the 2026 season, the Trophée Alpine A290 Régional takes a different approach from the Trophée Alpine A290 Rallye, which runs across six rounds of the French Rally Championship. Drivers choose which eligible rallies, hillclimbs and slaloms to enter from the FFSA calendar, between 1 January and 18 October inclusive. There is no limit on the number of events they can contest, but only their six best results count.
Points earned in class are weighted according to the event. With only six results counting, a new score can replace a weaker one, rather than simply being added in full to a driver’s total. That gives the final outings of the season added significance.
Alpine has also designed the programme so that competitors can run the A290 Rallye independently, using conventional charging points. Planning journeys is therefore part of preparing for each event.
Ridel and Janel: a rivalry forged in the spring
Denis Ridel and Pascal Janel quickly emerged as the leading rivals. After the Rallye National des Côtes du Tarn, both entered their A290 Rallye at Saint-Jean-du-Gard–Col Saint-Pierre, adding hillclimbing to their campaigns.
Ridel then got the better of Janel at the Rallye Régional des Vins du Gard and at Quillan. Ninth overall at the Rallye Régional du Val Dadou was another highlight of his early season. Janel hit back at the Rallye Régional du Pays Viganais, cutting the gap to 28 points.
Mouquet’s season has been less straightforward. After his accident at Le Touquet, he returned to form in slalom competition, taking seventh overall and winning his class at Calais. Further outings at Layrac and Clastres followed before he returned to rallying at the Boulonnais event, where he finished second in e-Rally5 behind the crew of Guillaume Delobel and Benjamin Rock. His success at the Slalom Final builds on that summer recovery.
An electric front-wheel-drive hatchback built for competition
The versatility at the heart of the series is underpinned by a dedicated competition specification. The A290 Rallye delivers 220 PS and 300 Nm to the front wheels through a ZF limited-slip differential. Its 52 kWh battery uses a 400 V architecture.
The chassis features ALP Racing Suspension dampers and 18-inch EVO Corse wheels. At the front, 350 mm brake discs are paired with six-piston monobloc callipers, while the rear uses 280 mm discs. These components underline the Rallye’s purpose as a competition car, engineered to meet the demands of traction and braking on an event.
The project marks a new chapter in Alpine’s customer racing programme: the A290 Rallye is Renault Group’s first fully electric car developed for customer competition. Work began in December 2023, bringing together teams from Dieppe and Viry-Châtillon.
Calais pulls clear as the drivers’ title awaits its winner
Fourth on 144 points, Christelle Martiaux has shared Benoît Mouquet’s A290 Rallye at several events. Their results have helped Alpine Store Calais take the lead in the dealer network’s challenge, with 226 points to Clermont-Ferrand’s 20. It is a commanding advantage, although the standings remain provisional.
Behind the leading quartet, Aymeric Lenoir heads the chasing pack on 50 points, ahead of Guillaume Delobel and Franck Chaput. Gabriele Barabino and Philippe Janvier are tied on 20 points.
The scoring window closes on 18 October. Each driver’s six best results will determine the final standings, with €23,700 in prizes announced for the top 20 finishers. Ridel heads into the closing stages in the lead; Janel and Mouquet still need results strong enough to overturn the current order.
Standings as at 1 October 2026
| Position | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denis Ridel | 300 |
| 2 | Pascal Janel | 272 |
| 3 | Benoît Mouquet | 216 |
| 4 | Christelle Martiaux | 144 |
| 5 | Aymeric Lenoir | 50 |
| 6 | Guillaume Delobel | 40 |
| 7 | Franck Chaput | 30 |
| 8= | Gabriele Barabino | 20 |
| 8= | Philippe Janvier | 20 |
| Position | Challenge Alpine Store | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alpine Store Calais | 226 |
| 2 | Alpine Store Clermont-Ferrand | 20 |
Source: Alpine
