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Bonato at the double in ERC
Yoann Bonato will go for an FIA European Rally Championship double in 2025 – quite literally.
The three-time ERC event winner has listed the 42nd Rally Sierra Morena - Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad (3 - 6 April) and Croatia Rally (3 - 5 October) on his schedule for the season ahead, which he’ll tackle in a Michelin-equipped Citroën C3 Rally2.
Bonato, who has taken three wins and six podiums from 21 ERC starts, traditionally contests a handful of European rounds each season alongside his French championship campaign.
His choice of the 42nd Rally Sierra Morena - Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad and Croatia Rally means he will be in action on the opening and deciding rounds of the 2025 ERC season.
“I will do Spain and Croatia but only these two rallies because the other rallies are in the same date as the French championship and I can’t do two rallies at the same time!”, Bonato, 41, said. “For my sponsors I can’t miss the French events and this is why this year I choose only two events in ERC this year.
“The WRC2 guys [doing the ERC] will know Croatia Rally and the Spanish guys will know very good Rally Sierra Morena because it was a national event before. If the ERC comes back to France, for example in Rallye Monte-Blanc, I think I know the roads a bit better than everybody else.
Bonato in action last season in Poland
© ERC
“But I know Croatia a bit because I follow the WRC event, so I know approximately the roads. For the moment, Spain I don’t know it, I just have a look on the video from last year. But I think it’s a rally close to Roma, the roads are similar I think, so it will not be completely new for us, and the profile is a bit like we have in the French championship. I think the most different event will be Croatia because the roads are quite different to what we have usually.”
Bonato and co-driver Benjamin Boulloud will continue to drive for Trajectus Motorsport with their C3 Rally2 sporting the same Citroën Xsara retro livery carried throughout 2024. They will start their bid for a sixth French Tarmac title on Rallye Le Touquet - Pas-de-Calais, which takes place from 14 - 15 March before switching focus to their ERC preparations.
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Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud have won ERC events in Catalaunya (2022) and Gran Canaria (2023 and 2024).
“If we can continue like that it should be perfect but I think this year will be harder than last year but we never know what can happen,” Bonato said.
