ALTAS ROTAÇÕES - Alpine dominates at Nogaro

Tuesday, 07 April 2026 19:50

Alpine dominates at Nogaro

Written by Super User

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The Alpine ELF Cup Series kicked off its new era in the best possible way at the Nogaro Easter Cup meeting. With its integration into the FFSA French GT Championship, the field entered a completely revamped environment, notably featuring driver changes and Pirelli tyres.

Following the traditional parade through the streets of the town on Friday evening, the competitors fine-tuned their preparations on Saturday’s free practice. Matéo Herrero (Herrero Racing #25) and Romain Monti (Chazel Technologie Course #111) set the initial reference times ahead of the two 20-minute qualifying sessions. Reserved for the ‘Pro’ class, Paul Alberto (Chazel Technologie Course #03) led the first session in a field covered by just over half a second. Moments later, the ‘Am’ drivers took to the track, and Rodolphe Wallgren (Chazel Technologie Course #111) was the fastest, securing pole position for Race 2.

Race 1: A winning strategy for Monti and Wallgren

The ‘Pro’ drivers started Race 1, with Paul Alberto holding the lead at the start. However, Romain Monti immediately gained two places to move into second, while the field behind remained extremely tight. A collision between Anthony Pisano (Chazel Technologie Course #09) and Paul Roques (Race Cars Consulting #33) then brought out the safety car.

The race took a turn during the driver changes. Romain Monti, the first of the leaders to pit, allowed Rodolphe Wallgren to take the lead thanks to a perfectly executed undercut, as their rivals all emerged behind the Chazel Technologie Course #111 car on the following lap.

Despite the efforts of Gosia Rdest (Chazel Technologie Course #03) and a safety car period leading to a seven-minute sprint finish, Rodolphe Wallgren drew on his experience in traffic to pull away and secure the victory. The duo of Gosia Rdest and Paul Alberto finished second, whilst Matéo Herrero and David Barrère (Herrero Racing #25) completed the podium after a fine charge from last year's Gentlemen class champion.

Race 2: Monti and Wallgren double up

Race 1 winner on Sunday, Rodolphe Wallgren started Monday's race from pole. The French driver immediately found himself locked in an intense battle with Gosia Rdest, which eventually went the Polish driver's way. Behind them, Anthony Fournier (Race Cars Consulting #33) overtook David Barrere for third place.

After two safety car periods that delayed the opening of the driver change window, the Chazel Technologie Course #111 car again made the difference in the pits. By extending his stint by an extra lap, Rodolphe Wallgren allowed Romain Monti to exit the pitlane in first position, ahead of Matéo Herrero and Paul Alberto.

Despite a third restart, Romain Monti remained unflappable right to the finish line to seal a double victory for his crew. Paul Alberto inherited second place following the penalty imposed on Herrero Racing #25 for failing to observe the minimum pit-stop time. Paul Roques and Anthony Fournier thus completed the podium. The top five was rounded off by Jérôme Thiery and Lenny Kieffer, the Volant ELF Series by The Grid talent scouting initiative winner.

Alpine in force at Nogaro

The Nogaro weekend also confirmed Alpine’s competitiveness in the FFSA GT French Championship. Reigning Alpine ELF Cup Series champions, Léo Jousset and Race Cars Consulting left a lasting impression on their debut at the highest GT level of the national scene.

Léo Jousset and teammate Rudy Servol put their Alpine A110 GT4+ at the top of the timesheets in free practice and qualifying. They then dominated Race 1 as the crews of Lukas Papin and Jérémy Corsin (Schumacher GP) and Laurent Hurgon and Lazare Lartigau (Chazel Technologie Course) completed an all-Alpine podium. The latter won Race 2 ahead of Lukas Papin and Jérémy Corsin. Viny Beltramelli and Fabian Duffieux (Code Racing Development) took third, securing another one-two-three finish for the A-arrow brand. Reigning Am Cup champions Stéphane Auriacombe and Stéphane Lémeret (CMR No. 63) got their title defence off to a flying start with two victories in their Alpine A110 GT4 Evo.

Alongside these successes, the public got the chance to discover the Alpine world and range at the village in the paddock last weekend. They also enjoyed the parade through the town centre and many spectators seized the opportunity to experience the thrills of Alpine A290 and Alpine A390 by getting behind the wheel during supervised test drives.

Romain Monti and Rodolphe Wallgren leave the Gers at the top of the general classification, having secured maximum points at Nogaro. They are 14 points clear of Paul Alberto and Gosia Rdest. Matéo Herrero and David Barrere are close behind, heading to round two from 15–17 May at Circuit Dijon-Prenois.

QUOTES

Romain Monti (Race 1 and Race 2 winner)

“This weekend was nearly perfect for us. The only thing missing was one pole position on Saturday, when I was hindered during my fast lap, even though we had the pace to be out front. We worked well with the team on our strategies, and that paid off in the race. We had the pace to win, and we’re a strong crew thanks to our winter preparation. With this new format, one of the main challenges is managing traffic with the GT4s, as they can significantly affect the final result. We need to be very careful and we are also aware that the competition will be fierce this year. The competition is strong, the standard is high, and every weekend will be a battle.”

Rodolphe Wallgren (Race 1 and Race 2 winner)

“Nogaro has often been a good track for us, and we scored a lot of points here this weekend. The aim now is to build on this momentum with greater consistency. With the driver change between practice, qualifying and the races, everything depends on teamwork, and we’ll aim to be as consistent as possible throughout the season. The Alpine A110 Cups are close to some GT4s, which adds a bit of excitement whilst making the races even more interesting. Within the Alpine ELF Cup Series itself, the gaps are extremely tight. I didn’t expect the level to be this high, but it’s a very good omen for the rest of the season.”