Adrien Fourmaux’s redemption from a challenging 2022 always felt complete, even before last weekend’s Central European Rally.
But topping the Rally2 class on the event completed a mission he had often set himself throughout the year but never quite managed. And it was done in supremely impressive circumstances, recovering from a day two puncture to pick his way through the field from 15th to first.
The step back up to Rally1 (for Rally Japan at the very least) is a rich reward but fully deserved.
“To go from 15th to first over the course of the weekend is incredible,” praised M-Sport team principal Richard Millener.
“The culmination of hard work from the team pushing through the Rally2 updates, to his mechanics and engineer giving him the best car and setup, to the crew themselves, showing what they are really capable of – it was all just perfect.
“I am so happy for them both and they really deserve their chance again in Rally1.”
Fourmaux still needs to prove it in the top car, and that’s what the 2023 season finale will all be about, but it seems pretty clear that the Fourmaux stepping into the Puma will not be the same driver as the one who got out of it 12 months ago.
In a Fiesta Rally2, the Frenchman has been much more calm, calculated and composed than ever before. His discipline has greatly improved over the course of 2023.
Fourmaux agreed with DirtFish: “That’s the big learning of the season is we understand much more where we can push, where we feel comfortable and when we really know the stage, and if we are like ‘this one will maybe not be the one for us’ we push a bit less,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s just sections in the stage, but at the end we are there and we are still pushing, we are still in the fight so it helps for a good result.”
A drive to second place in Finland runs it close, but Fourmaux’s most recent “good result” is probably the best performance of his season, and potentially his career.
“Probably yes, for sure,” Fourmaux said. “At least a really good win.
“We were 15th overall after the third stage with our puncture, catching every car in front of us, our one goal was the overall. Actually really, really happy, really good comeback and we were really pushing in the tricky conditions.
“It was probably one of the most difficult rallies of the season with the condition, at least on Tarmac, so yeah really, really happy with that.”
But as Millener mentioned, it’s not all down to the driver. The Ford Fiesta Rally2 has been transformed over the course of the year from a car that struggled for pace on the Monte Carlo Rally to one that is now winning events – but Fourmaux has had a great hand in that.
He admitted there is “a big difference actually” in the car he’s driving now to the one he steered 11 months ago. The latest update has been to the cooling package which Fourmaux debuted at the weekend.
“For sure now the car is really competitive, we can be really proud of it. We have been working with the team all the season to improve the car and we show now with the performance the car is there, and it’s really good for the team.
“It was also really good for us to show our pace in the RC2 class.”
And of course very good for Fourmaux to show his pace and temperament on CER with the Rally1 driver market still very open for 2024.
