Renault campaigner Jérôme Grosset-Janin sets fastest time in the first free practice session, Liam Doran only non-French among the first seven.

According to schedule Round 2 of the 2012 ERC was startet in the rain with the first session of the Free Practice. As the venue is new ground for the Euro series and not known to most of the ERC regulars it was no big surprise that the French drivers did well and claimed seven of the fastest times among the Top 10 drivers. Jérôme Grosset-Janin in a Renault Clio Mk3 drove fastest while his compatriots Samuel Peu (Peugeot 207) and Philippe Tollemer (Citroën C4) were setting the second and third fastest times. Quickest of the non-French competitors was Briton Liam Doran who claimed the fourth time. Behind Doran three more French drivers, Davy Jeanney (Citroën C4), veteran Rallycrosser Hervé “Knapick” (Citroën DS3) and Marc Laboulle (Citroën Xsara). Belgian Jos Jansen drove his Ford Focus Mk3 to eighth place, Fabien Pailler (Peugeot 207) was ninth fastest and Russian Timur Timerzyanov (Citroën DS3) completed the Top 10.

Fastest among the Super1600 drivers were Andreas Bakkerud (Renault Twingo Mk2), his team colleague Jussi-Petteri Leppihalme (Renault Clio Mk2) and homeboy Fabien Chanoine (Dacia Sandero). The TouringCars category saw Roman Častoral (Opel Astra G) being fastest, Derek Tohill (Ford Fiesta Mk7) second fastest and Daniel Nordgård (Ford Focus Mk2) third.

Image caption: Jérôme Grosset-Janin drove his Renault Clio Mk3 to the fastest time in the 1st Free Practice runs. © Team Chanoine/ERC24