A Snowy Start to the 2025 Season at Rallye Perce-Neige!

With nearly 200 km of timed stages, Rallye Perce-Neige 2025 put teams to the test with demanding winter conditions, a stark contrast to last year’s edition. This time, Maniwaki was covered in snow, lined with soft snowbanks ready to trap unsuspecting competitors.

After reconnaissance, the competition kicked off with 47 km of special stages spread across four timed sections.

A familiar face at Rallye Perce-Neige since 1991, when he drove a Honda Civic, Jean-Sébastien Besner left no room for his rivals. Alongside co-driver Yvan Joyal, the duo led the race from start to finish, dominating most stages and securing an impressive victory with a 2-minute and 40-second lead over their closest competitor.

“I’m so happy! I’ve wanted a victory here for a long time, and now it’s finally done! Huge thanks to the entire team for an amazing rally!”

-Jean-Sébastien Besner

📸 Photo by Nate Snow

Mexican Team Secures Second Place Despite Mechanical Issues

Facing conditions completely different from what they’re used to in Mexico, Ricardo Cordero & Marco Hernandez adapted quickly, claiming victory in three stages and securing second place in their Citroën C3 R5.

“The rally was incredible, but way too cold for us Mexicans! It was so intense that I even caught the flu. We’re happy to take home the second-place points!”

-Ricardo Cordero

Starting cautiously before increasing their pace, their momentum was briefly halted by an engine issue caused by a frozen pressure valve, leading to significant oil loss. Fortunately, thanks to the paddock’s solidarity—other competitors provided them with oil during transit—and an efficient effort from their service team, they were able to return to full attack mode by the end of the day, setting impressive stage times.

📸 Photo by Clément Tavernier

Vincent and Gaudreau Go Head-to-Head with the R5s

Simon Vincent & Hubert Gaudreau proved that their historic Subaru could hold its own against much more modern rally cars.

“Right from the first stage, everything was working perfectly, and we took an early lead over our competitors in similar cars.”

-Simon Vincent

With a stable setup and slightly overinflated tires to avoid punctures, they maintained an impressive pace throughout the rally.

“Of course, we would have loved to beat the R5s, but we have to be realistic—our car is a historic model that my father drove at Rallye Perce-Neige in 2002. Managing to clock times within a second of the winners and even outperforming some R5s shows that we had the speed!”

📸 Photo by Émilie Cousineau

Trevor Pougnet & Ryan Rouleau Dominate the 4WD Production Class

Regular contenders in the 4WD Production category, Trevor Pougnet & Ryan Rouleau continue to push their limits, despite competing with a car less powerful than some of their rivals.

Their determination was tested early, as a damaged head gasket on Friday night forced them to manage engine issues throughout Saturday’s stages. However, despite this mechanical setback, they not only secured victory in their class but also claimed an impressive 4th place overall in the general classification!

📸 Photo by Clément Tavernier

Arsenault & Zigby Claim 2WD Victory in Their Brand-New Peugeot 208 Rally4!

Mikael Arsenault & Layla Zigby made a strong impression by securing the 2WD win in their Peugeot 208 Rally4, prepared by Team FJ and supported by CAS Compétition.

“Adjusting to 2WD wasn’t easy, but we quickly adapted to compete with the best.”

-Mikael Arsenault

Despite a mechanical issue, the team pulled off an impressive feat, replacing the faulty part in just 20 minutes, allowing them to continue without penalty and take the victory.

“Our first rally with the car, and a win in 2WD! That’s a great way to start our run for the 2WD championship title!”

📸 Photo by Nate Snow

Laverdière & Fouteret Battle to the Final Stage

“The rally was incredibly close in 2WD—237 km covered in under 2h10, and only 17.7 seconds separating us from Arsenault at the finish. That’s amazing!”

Indeed, Nicolas Laverdière & Nicolas Fouteret delivered an outstanding performance, winning 12 stages in the Prepared 2WD category. Their speed secured them the class victory and an impressive second place overall in the 2WD standings.

“A performance we are proud of. Thank you to the team, our sponsors, the volunteers, and the fans!”

📸 Photo by Clément Tavernier

DNFs and Drama in 2WD

Crazy Leo & Sam Roxon started strong, winning the first three stages before being forced to retire due to an electronic issue (ECU). Their team worked tirelessly until 4 AM in an attempt to fix the problem, but unfortunately, the car could not be repaired in time.

Meanwhile, Charles & Juliette L’Estage had a rollercoaster of a rally, with two off-road excursions, including a rollover. Despite the setbacks, they pushed hard in the final loop, making up several minutes to clinch third place in 2WD—an impressive achievement for a driver competing in only his second national event!

Article by Frédéric Senterre

Final standings : https://rallyscoring.com/results/2025/PerceNeige/index.htm

Statistics : https://www.ewrc-results.com/