After he completed leg one a mere 0.3sec ahead of fellow Frenchman Mathieu Franceschi, Bonato changed tactic behind the wheel of his Michelin-shod Citroën C3 Rally2 for Saturday’s six stages.
He went for an overnight attack reset, notched up two consecutive stage wins and completed the morning trio of stages 6.9sec ahead of the chasing pack. Although that margin was narrowed to 2.8sec at the finish, Bonato and co-driver Benjamin Boulloud were nevertheless able to celebrate the third win of their ERC careers.
“The fight was on and we had to continue to push very hard,” 40-year-old Bonato said. “But with such a small gap [starting the final morning] we had to start like it was a new rally. And it worked.
“We tried to push as maximum as possible and the result was perfect for us, the team, the tyres and the car. It was a hard second loop with the temperatures going higher but everything was okay.”
Bonato is now aiming to make it a hat-trick of ERC wins this season, which would mean winning all three of the events the Trajectus Motorsport driver is due to contest alongside his French Tarmac championship campaign.
“We only do three events in ERC this year and if we can win each one it should be perfect,” said Bonato, whose next scheduled appearance in the European championship is on Rally di Roma Capitale in July.
Last 10 ERC winners on Tarmac
Rally Islas Canarias 2024: Bonato/Boulloud (Citroën C3 Rally2)
Rally Hungary 2023: Østberg/Barth (Citroën C3 Rally2)
Barum Czech Rally Zlín 2023: Kopecký/Hlouśek (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2)
Rally di Roma Capitale 2023: Crugnola/Ometto (Citroën C3 Rally2)
Rally Islas Canarias 2023: Bonato/Boulloud (Citroën C3 Rally2)
RallyRACC Catalunya – Costa Daurada 2022: Bonato/Boulloud (Citroën C3 Rally2)
Barum Czech Rally Zlín 2022: Kopecký/Hlouśek (Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo)
Rally di Roma Capitale 2022: De Tomasso/Ascalone (Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo)
Rally Islas Canarias 2022: N Solans/Martí (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5)
Rally Islas Canarias 2021: Lukyanuk/Arnautov (Citroën C3 Rally2)
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