Toulouse. At home, Alexis Sirmain let go of the horses!
Created to compensate for the previous cancellations of Marcillac and Rignac, the ARVM-Aveyron will remain a unique event, Alexis-Sirmain and Rémi Nolorgues alone on the list …
Alexis, 33 years and 8 days old this morning, has not experienced the rallies of yesteryear. Too young for the soups from Picou in Villecomtal, the starry nights of recognition at the Poteau de Golinhac and Corsican cheeses. But “the pilot of the Vallon”, child in a hurry from Clairvaux, arrived at the wheel by dint of seeing the cars go by, as a kid, on the Rouergue specials, keeps the spirit of an era. In the passenger compartment of the Peugeot 106 Maxi F2-13 and, this weekend, in that of the Hyundai i20 (rented from Ennjolras), tripoux and frogs’ legs can always appear between the “left fully”, “throws” , “chord”, “open”, “close” and “40 m” notes by Rémi Nolorgues. “It is true that it is in our mind, we attach a lot of importance to the competition of course but also to the conviviality and the atmosphere that we can still find in our sport”. No “mansois” on board rest assured, but the heart is there! On Sunday, the Aveyron crew clinched a “somewhat historic” victory in the ARVM-Aveyron rally. First because it was a “first”, and secondly because there won’t be any more! The health crisis and its endless procession of consequences deprived pilots and spectators of the 2020 and 2021 Marcillac rally and of the 2020 Rignacois country. The association then had the idea of setting up a test, the ARVM-Aveyron while waiting for a return. to normal in 2022 with Marcillac in March and Rignac in the fall.
“Discover the land”
Seventeen seconds forgotten in a hairpin on the first day, Sirmain-Nolorgues are distributed in the attack in the second stage on the stages of Colombiès and Goutrens. Two scratches slammed at the start, worries for the Figeacois Julien Marty (DS3) and the leader of the rally, until the end despite the appetite of his experienced compatriot Vincent Leduc (Alpine A 110). Fourth success after the 2017-2018 Thermes and the 2017 Cantal. “Next, we don’t really know, I would like to ride on gravel, discover other events as well. The experience with the Hyundai has been incredible, with 106 we have come to the end of it a bit, but after that it is a question of budget, we will see with our partners “. Generous and always up for the “limits”, Alexis has had some memorable outings. Not too surprisingly. Just after his birth in the fall of 1988, Didier Auriol had “greeted” him with a series of barrels on the Cévennes! “I ran with Auriol-Competition, which his sister takes care of, but I have never met Didier”. It is not too late…