Laurent Reuche (Peugeot 207 S2000) won the 52^nd edition of the Rallye International du Valais. With this victory, he is crowned the 2011 Swiss Rally Champion. Eight-time winner of the RIV, Olivier Burri finishes second in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. The event was marked by a long list of retirements.

At the end of the first of the three legs - the rally route totalled 709 km with 17 special stages, youngster Laurent Reuche, 36, from Le Locle), was third overall. Then a lot happened. The special stage of « Les Cols » - 37 kilometres - and the following stages sealed the fate of the race. None of the top drivers escaped unhurt from these stages. Ivan Ballinari broke the alternator belt of his Peugeot and Nicolas Althaus (Peugeot 207 S2000) lost six minutes because of a puncture that he had to change, losing a lot of time as the jack did not work properly.

Laurent Reuche also lost three minutes to the leader, Ivan Ballinari, after a puncture in SS 5, dropping to six overall. Thanks to his experience, Reuche made up time quickly. On the demanding roads around Martigny and Sion, Reuche did not make any mistakes and the end of his race was beyond reproach. The driver from Neuchâtel climbed to second at the end of SS 7 after the retirement of Portuguese Bernardo Sousa (Peugeot 207 S2000), a habitué in the World Rally Championship. In the eighth special stage, Laurent Reuche demonstrated his talent by passing eight-time Rallye du Valais winner Olivier Burri (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X) to take the lead.

From then, Laurent Reuche remained in command until the end of the event. During this third and last leg, he drove without taking risks and using the brain and with six fastest times he managed to save a 2min04.6sec over second placed, Olivier Burri. With this third victory in the season Laurent Reuche reached Martigny winning the Rallye international du Valais and being crowned the 2011 Swiss Rally Champion!

The third of this Swiss trio was Nicolas Althaus (Peugeot 207 S2000) who collected a puncture and lost more than three minutes to drop to 13^th overall. Finally, his five stage wins allowed him to climb to fifth overall.

In the last 11-kilometre stage, Swiss Urs Hunziker (Subaru Impreza) had to surrender his third place to the Czech driver Antonin Tlustak (Skoda Fabia S2000). Hunziker was therefore out of the podium for only 2.2 seconds.

Former ski champion and local hero Philippe Roux (Peugeot 207 S2000) finished seventh overall behind Antonio Galli (Citroën DS3).

N° 97 (Claude-Alain Cornuz / Dario Lopez - Honda Civic) retired - mechanical in SS 14

N° 49 (Joël Rappaz / Gaël Delasoie - Citroën C2 R2 Max) retired - mechanical in SS 15

N° 76 (Joël Tissières / Aurèle Vernay - renault Clio RS) retired - off road in SSS 15

N° 29 (Xavier Craviolini / Yannick Micheloud - Honda Civic Type-R) retired - brake problem in SS11

N° 18 (Stefan Göttig / Andreas von Skopnik - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX) retired - mechanical after SS11

N° 81 (Pascal Bron / Quentin Maschaud - Renault Clio) retired - mechanical in SS13

N° 10 (Jean-Philippe Radoux / jean-Noël Grégoire - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX) retired - mechanical in SS 14

2 Jan Skalloud, co-driver to Antonin Tlustak (Skoda Fabia S2000)

Today we push very hard to improve our position. We only have to be very careful in a stage like "Verbier" because it is really technical. In the afternoon we will attack. It's my second time here in the Rallye du Valais. I like the rally in general but I don't like the gravel sections as the setup of our car is for tarmac. Otherwise, it's a nice event, the place is beautiful and I really enjoy being here.

7 Laurent Reuche (Peugeot 207 S2000)

The first two special stages were quite tricky but we know them and we know that it's damp in places. We take no chances and in "La Croix de Coeur" it was again difficult because there was still a bit of ice and snow. The major problem was that we had too many information in the pace-notes and it was difficult to follow them. The first downhill section is fast with very slippery patches. At the end of the stage the last downhill section is narrow with first/second gear hairpins. It's a purple passage but it's nice! The target is to go as fast as possible because this car must be driven at speed otherwise nothing works properly but we didn't take risks, I brake earlier and I avoid cutting the corners.

8 Nicolas Althaus (Peugeot 207 S2000)

Everything went well this morning. We were fully awake, unlike our rivals apparently, but in the last stage [SS13] the clutch broke so I lost my concentration. Also the setup of the car was a bit too hard for that stage but it was good for the first two. Altogether, it was OK. This morning my target was to try and catch Urs Hunziker for third spot. Now it's getting difficult but who knows something can still happen to the guys in front...

12 Urs Hunziker (Subaru Impreza)

We have been cautious in the first two special stages this morning because it was quite damp and cold. So we played it safe. In Verbier [SS13], the conditions were much better and the car was behaving exactly the way I wanted so I was able to attack, which resulted in a second fastest time. As I cannot catch Olivier Burri - who is a professional driver with a huge experience while it's only my third year in rallying - my aim is to keep Nicolas Althaus at bay and maybe to make it on the podium in the end.

15 Olivier Burri (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X)

In the first two stages, I had a good feeling. I only just begin to understand this car. However, we had nothing to gain, lose or prove. The target was to avoid punctures since we have a comfortable lead over our nearest opponent in third place.  

16 Philippe Roux (Peugeot 207 S2000)

In the first stage, I didn't dare to go flat out as I couldn't find a good rhythm. In the last one [SS13] I started quite well then I had to back off a little because I was lacking breath. I drove well until the last few kilometres and again in the downhill section towards the end of the stage, I slowed down. This stage is fantastic but you need to be hundred percent fit.

5 Bernardo Sousa (Peugeot 207 S2000)

We started the day with the aim of winning the rally. We set some good times and my confidence was growing. After the first service this morning, where everything was checked and proved OK, we were heading towards the start of the next SS when we realised that a half-shaft was broken. Nevertheless, we managed to keep a one-minute advantage in the overall classification. But in the following stage, there was a hairpin then a left hander and the car went just straight. We couldn't stop and we hit a wall. That was it. It's a shame that we couldn't finish and maybe win the event. It was my first time with this car and with this team and I think we did well before our retirement. I lacked a little bit experience but this rally went very well for us and I sure want to be here to try and win it. I'd also like to say thank you to all those who supported us, particularly the many Portuguese fans who live here and were flocking the stages.

7 Laurent Reuche (Peugeot 207 S2000)

We had a bad start to the leg. We collected a puncture in SS5. Then a lot happened. Nicolas Althaus - and several others - also collected a puncture and all those in front were retiring one after the other or hit trouble. During the first loop I had not a good feeling. We made adjustments to the setup of the car and the second part of the day was much better because I felt very comfortable with the car. I tried to avoid making mistakes. Finally, for the last loop, I played tactics, attacking when the road was clean and being cautious when there was too much dirt. My major aim was to avoid punctures. For the last day, there are still a lot of competitive kilometres and I will have to keep my concentration and again to avoid punctures. I think that punctures are often due to a mistake rather than bad luck. This year, the Rallye du Valais is quite tough especially because of the new stages or part of stages. With a car like that, it's very difficult on gravel when the settings are for asphalt. I was worrying a lot when I saw every driver taking the lead retiring soon after that. Anyway, tomorrow we will have to attack because those cars do not work properly if you drive them slowly and it's also a good way to keep the concentration.

8 Nicolas Althaus (Peugeot 207 S2000)

The day ended less well than it began. We had a puncture that cost us a lot of time because the jack was jammed. Apart from that, I'm happy because we have shown a good pace. However, now, we can only hope that Laurent Reuche has a problem but I don't wish him.

12 Urs Hunziker (Subaru Impreza)

Everything is under control. We started the rally learning the roads and increased our pace gradually.

15 Nicolas Klinger, co-driver to Olivier Burri (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X)

I'm happy because it my first time with no puncture in the "Col des Planches" since I first took part in the Rallye du Valais. We've been leading the rally after SS7, but this was mainly due to the problems of the others and we did not focus on that. We knew that it would last long because our car is a 1600kg class 3 so there was nothing we could do against the S2000 cars. Olivier has a huge experience and he knows how to save the brakes. When they lose efficiency, he let them rest before attacking again. He's driving with the brain.

16 Philippe Roux (Peugeot 207 S2000)

Thanks to the several retirements in front, I made up places in the overall classification, which is good for me. But the most important thing is that I feel better and better in the car. The more I drive, the more I get good times and they also get closer to the young boys ahead. I also switched to slick tyres and that proved to be the right choice.

The demanding 37.65-kilometre special stage of "Les Cols", the fourth speed test of the 52^nd Rallye International du Valais, put the 88 remaining crews to the test. Almost none of the top drivers came through without problems. At the end of the second day, Swiss driver Laurent Reuche (Peugeot 207 S2000) leads the field.

Favourite in the Swiss Rally title chase Ivan Ballinari (Peugeot 207 S2000) was forced into retirement after this first special stage of the second leg after experiencing engine trouble, which blew his hopes of being crowned. The two remaining contenders of the series did not escape unhurt from the demanding stages. Both Laurent Reuche (Peugeot 207 S2000) and Nicolas Althaus (Peugeot 207 S2000) collected punctures and lost respectively three and six minutes.

The fate of the foreign drivers was not any different. Runner-up of the ERC, Italian Luca Betti (Peugeot 207 S2000), was unable to take the start of the first stage of the day. Newly crowned European Champion Luca Rossetti (ITA, Abarth Grande Punto S2000) was leading and giving it all for a victory to celebrate his title in style when a broken alternator belt put an end to his race. Then it was the turn of Production World Rally Championship entrant Bernardo Sousa (Peugeot 207 S2000) to hit trouble with a broken half-shaft. The Portuguese had to leave the scene after hitting a wall. Shortly afterwards, young Swiss driver Michael Burri, the son of Olivier, had to park his Citroën DS3 R3T because of a brake failure due to a broken shock absorber that tore a brake pipe away.

German Swiss Ruedi Schmidlin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X) and Olivier Gillet (Renault Clio R3C) quickly joined the list of affliction, Schmidlin having to stop while Gillet lost over seven minutes and dropped to 12^th overall by the end of the day.

At the end of the second leg in Martigny, after ten out of the 17 special stages scheduled, Swiss championship contenders Reuche and Althaus shared the honours. By the end of the eighth special stage Reuche jumped into the lead for the first time while Althaus moved to fifth overall, behind Reuche, Burri, the surprising German Swiss Urs Hunziker (Subaru Impreza) and Czech driver Antonin Tlustak (Skoda Fabia S2000).

Eight-time Rallye du Valais winner Olivier Burri (Mitsubishi Evolution X) benefited from the many setbacks. He took the lead after SS7 2.2 seconds ahead of Reuche but then had to settle for second, finishing the leg 51.7 seconds adrift of his fellow countryman. ERC driver Maciej Oleksowicz (Ford Fiesta S2000), from Poland was another unlucky contender after dropping from third to 10^th overall.

N° 21 (Sergio Pinto / Romain Lambiel - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X) retired - mechanical Service Park after SS 8

N° 63 (Christophe Rey / Carlos Surroca - Citroën Saxo) retired - mechanical after SS 7

N° 5 (Bernardo Sousa / Paolo Babo - Peugeot 207 S2000) retired - mechanical SS 7

N° 57 (Patrick Bagnoud / Eric Dietrich - Peugeot 206 SX) retired - broken engine mounting SS 6

N° 56 (Pascal Sauthier / Florian Gabbud - Citroën C2) retired - off road SS 5

N° 20 (Rui Lourenco / Thierry Savioz - Subaru Impreza) retired - mechanical SS 5

N° 47 (Aurélien Devanthery / Benoît Antille - Citroën C2 R2) retired - mechanical SS 5

N° 79 (Grégoire Darbellay / Joël Baillifard - Renault Clio) retired - mechanical Service Park after SS 4

1 Luca Rossetti (Abarth Grande Punto S2000)

We lost the alternator belt strainer and this left us without alternator and without power-steering on the road section after SS 4. It's a real pity because we had set a good time in the stage and now that the European Championship is over, we wanted to celebrate our title with a win here. However, I will stay here for Saturday's big party!

5 Bernardo Sousa (Peugeot 207 S2000)

We are leading the rally but there's still a long way to go. This morning in the first long special stage, I was a little bit too cautious because there was a lot of gravel and the brakes were failing towards the end. In the second one, it was a bit better, even though there were still a lot of gravel portions and the local drivers were more comfortable with that. However, it appeared that we were fast enough to make the difference. At the end of SS 5, I slid wide and hit a water pipe but I didn't lose time [After this incident, the stage was interrupted for several minutes to stop the water flowing onto the road].

6 Ivan Ballinari (Peugeot 207 S2000)

In the first stage this morning, the fuel pressure warning lamp lit up. Then the car was misfiring all the time and we had to drive all the downhill section in neutral. So for us the race is over, the Swiss championship is over. I think we did our best but luck was not on our side. That's rallying.

8 Nicolas Althaus (Peugeot 207 S2000)

We have some hard time, especially in the gravel sections. I had the impression I couldn't drive properly on this surface. But we made up time on the asphalt where we were going flat out. We've been lucky our rivals hit trouble. We were three fighting for the Swiss Rally Championship. We were both under pressure and sometimes it's kind of a lottery because it's very easy to make a mistake. We need to be very careful as cutting too much corners can easily make you lose a lot of time if you collect a puncture. Now only two of us are still in contention. Reuche lost time but I think he will attack to try and catch us.

10 Jean-Philippe Radoux (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX)

The first stage yesterday was Ok. The second one - Montana - is one that I hate so, no comment. Then we had a puncture just before the start of "Les Casernes" [SS3] so I had to change it and the spare tyre was new, which means that we had no grip and we spun. This morning, in the long one, I overshot a junction but I didn't lose much time.

15 Olivier Burri (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X)

We had a difficult start to the rally. When you start a stage and you are told that there has been an accident and your son started the stage just few minutes before, you are obviously worried. Then when we knew it was Florian Gonon, it was bad news since both are very good friends of mine. Then in SS2, we could hardly find the right rhythm and in SS3, my driving was very bad as I was hitting banks all the time and I made a lot of mistakes. This morning, in the long stage, I had to change my driving style because with this car, on very long distances, you cannot use the left foot to brake otherwise, the brakes would lose efficiency. So I had to learn again to brake with the right foot, which I'm not used to. In the following stage, I made a mistake in a hairpin and I nearly rolled. I had to wait for the spectators to push the car to get back onto the road. Finally, in SS 5, we saw the yellow flags deployed and I lost my concentration, hit a stone and collected a puncture. Fortunately, this had no consequences since the stage was suspended due to the pipe broken by Sousa.

16 Philippe Roux (Peugeot 207 S2000)

Yesterday was dedicated to get use to a car that I never drove before. I also made a wrong tyre choice. However I really enjoyed driving this car. You just need to find the right feeling with the car, which need to be driven at high revs. If you are not at 8000rpm, you're just slow. Physically, it was quite tough for me, especially in the long stage but I'm still enjoying myself very much and that's what matters. I don't care if other drivers are faster, I just drive for the pleasure and I look forward to being here again in 2014 in a WRC round, maybe with a World Rally Car.

34 Michael Burri (Citroën DS 3 R3T)

Seven kilometres into SS4, we felt the brakes were not working. We carried on but we had to stop and we realised that it was in fact a damper that was broken and it tore a brake pipe away. We didn't hit anything though. So we think it was a faulty shock absorber. We had a nice fight with Olivier Gillet and also with Olivier... Burri, which was great.

39 Olivier Gillet (Renault Clio R3C)

The special stage of "Les Cols" was long and tough with quite broken asphalt, which doesn't suit the Clio R3C. In the next one [SS 5], it was even worth. I thought to myself we need gravel tyres or a 4-wheel drive car! So we'll see what our rivals have done but I'm quite happy because I didn't make any mistakes and we didn't collect a puncture. So it was not too bad. At the end of SS 5, there was a huge water spray, which justifies the interruption of the stage. The problem is that we had to wait for some 20 minutes and we started with cold brakes and cold tyres.

N° 58 (Mathias Rossetti / Mathieu Wyttenbach - Citroën Saxo) retired - mechanical SS 4

N° 60 (Jérôme Sieber / Yannick Dorsat - Honda Civic) retired - mechanical SS 4

N° 77 (Gaëtan Lathion / Pierre-André Terrettaz - Renault Clio) retired - mechanical SS 4

N° 80 (Vivian Randin / Olivier Pointet - Renault Clio) retired - mechanical SS 4

N° 83 (Christian Hickethier / Johannes Fries - Honda Civic) retired - mechanical SS 4

N° 90 (Julien Migliaccio / Aurélie Bonnet - Renault Clio) retired - rear suspension SS 4

N° 100 (Yann Perrin / Yves Perrin - Citroën Saxo) - off road SS 4

N° 103 (Fabien Richard / Nathalie Nicolier - Citroën Saxo) retired - mechanical SS 4

After the first leg of the Rallye International du Valais, the favourite in the Swiss Rally Championship title chase, Ivan Ballinari (Peugeot 207 S2000), has a 2.9 seconds lead over last year's winner and current European Rally Championship leader, Luca Rossetti (Abarth Grande Punto S2000). Thanks to the bonus points allocated according to the ERC classification at the end of each leg, the Italian is actually crowned 2011 FIA European Rally Champion since he only needed five points to beat his fellow countryman Luca Betti (Peugeot 207 S2000) who occupies the sixth place overall and the second in the ERC classification.

The following two positions are occupied by Swiss drivers, who took advantage of their local knowledge over the strong international field on the first of the three rally days. Laurent Reuche (Peugeot 207 S2000), who could still aim for a victory in the Swiss Championship, is 3.8 seconds adrift of the leader in third place, while Nicolas Althaus (Peugeot 207 S2000), is lying in fourth place ahead of major foreign crews.

Bernardo Sousa (Peugeot 207 S2000), from Portugal, is fifth overall, just ahead of Luca Betti. Eight-time Rallye du Valais winner Olivier Burri ranks eighth with his Mitsubishi Evolution X and leads class 3. He is just ahead of his son Michael Burri (Citroën DS3 R3T), who has already shown proof of his talent in several WRC rounds.

After an accident occurred to former Swiss champion Florian Gonon (Subaru Impreza WRX STi class 3) in the first special stage (Anzère) the rally was interrupted. While Gonon left the hospital after precautionary checks, his female co-driver Sandra Arlettaz suffered from minor fractures.

Due to several attacks from hackers towards the server, the live timing of the Rallye International du Valais has been affected, the display of the pages being sometimes considerably slowed. The technicians are currently seeking a solution. Meanwhile we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

SS 1 (Anzère) was stopped due do the accident of car n° 11 (Florian Gonon / Sandra Arlettaz - Subaru Impreza). The driver left the hospital after precautionnary checks. The co-driver suffers from minor fractures. The organisation of the RIV wishes her a quick recovery. Competitors who have been blocked or unable to start the stage will receive a notional time.

N° 22 (Eric Martenet / Cédric Vouillamoz - Mitsubishi) retired - mechanical

N° 79 (Grégoire Darbellay / Joëlle Baillifard - Renault Clio) retired - mechanical before the start of SS 1

N° 88 (Nick West / Chris Melling - Ford Fiesta) retired - engine

N° 29 (Xavier Craviolini / Yannick Micheloud - Honda Civic) retired - administrative reason

Bernardo Sousa (Peugeot 207 S2000)

It's my first participation in the Rallye du Valais. I like the route very much as it is very technical and the special stages are very nice. Since it's my first time here, I have tried and learn the stages. I sincerely hope to come back in 2014 to take part in this rally as a round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Only the layout of the road-book is slightly different from those I'm used to in the WRC, which makes things a little more complicated. There's nothing wrong with it but it's just the way it's made that is a bit different.

Luca Rossetti (Abarth Grande Punto S2000)

You are the reigning European Champion and you are again leading the series this year before this last round, the Rallye du Valais. What do you expect from this event?

As in 2008 and last year, we found this rally very nice and very well organised, with some special stages that are, according to me, quite particular as there is quite a lot of gravel in comparison with regular asphalt rallies. But this makes the event more exciting and more spectacular. As far as my target is concerned, I've got to score five points to win the European title and to achieve this, it would be enough for me to finish second of any of the three legs. Therefore, this will be my first aim.  If we could manage to achieve this already today at the end of the first leg, then we would try and repeat our result of last year [Rossetti won the RIV in 2010].

Luca Betti (Peugeot 207 S2000)

You are lying in second place in the FIA European Championship and you are Rossetti's last rival for the title. How do you feel before the start of the Rallye du Valais?

For sure, the situation in the championship is not easy for me as Luca [Rossetti] has scored a lot more points than me and he will be difficult to catch. I will drive the best I can and I must hope that something happens to him because otherwise, I have no chance. That's what rallying is all about. It's my second time here in Valais. I already took part in the 2007 edition, when I won the 2 wheel-drive category of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. The route is very nice and the special stages are far from easy. Many things have changes since my last participation. I will first try and find the right pace and then, we will see. However, I will have to learn again the stages because they are quite different from what I remembered. As Luca [Rossetti] said, the gravel portions are certainly interesting but also some places a little bit dangerous. The rally is very well organised and even though the road-book needs to be modified, I think that the event has its place among the rounds of the World Rally Championship.

Ivan Ballinari (Peugeot 207 S2000)

You are currently leading the Swiss Rally Championship before this last round. What is your state of mind before the Rallye du Valais?

First of all, we must remember that 10 years ago we were competing here at the wheel of a Peugeot 106 N2. Therefore, to be fighting for the championship in this last round is a big honour for us and I must confess that we are very pleased with that. This season, so far, we have been going well, driving with the brain to show our speed and to achieve good results. However, I remain humble since I am an amateur driver, we are not professional like these guys around me but it's also a great honour to be together with them.

For its 52nd edition, the RALLYE INTERNATIONAL DU VALAIS (RIV), part of the European Championship, takes a new turn and officially announces it is preparing a bid to become part of the 2014 World Championship.

The initial goal of rally founder Philippe Simonetta was to introduce rally participants to the geographical richness of the region. In line with this philosophy, the RIV has continually evolved since its inception, to reach its current position as a key component of the Swiss motorsport calendar.

Since 1994 the RIV has also been of international interest, as part of the European Championship. The success and continual expansion of the RIV would not have been possible without the support of federal and cantonal authorities, local governments, as well as the involvement of various national and international sports personalities.

The RIV has had 17 successful years as a member of the European Championship with exemplary security, media coverage and high attendances. It is a natural step in the evolution of the event to aim for inclusion in the calendar of the World Rally Championship (WRC).

The Rallye International du Valais is therefore preparing its bid to become part of this World Championship supported by the State Council and in collaboration with personalities from the Canton.

To achieve this, RIV organisator Mr Christian Dubuis has called on:

The AISTS (International Academy of Sports Science and Technology) to support him compose the application file. Founded in 2000 by the International Olympic Committee and other prestigious organisations, AISTS is an expert in providing strategic advice in bidding for major events.

Bab-Consulting, to support him during each step of the process. This agency brings a background of solid experience in the areas of media and project management.

Further information will be revealed on Thursday 27 October at 9:30am at the CERM of Martigny during a press conference attended by a number of personalities from the world of sports, politics and economy. 

The entry list for the forthcoming 52nd Rallye International du Valais has been published. The outcome of the 2011 FIA European Rally Championship will take place after the finish of the Swiss round. The two drivers in contention for the European title, the Italians Luca Rossetti (Abarth Grande Punto S2000) and Luca Betti (Peugeot 207 S2000), will take part in the event.

With the current points' allocation system, both can title. In addition to the usual scale, similar to that in use in other major championships (25, 18, 15, 12, etc.), bonus points are up to grab for each leg (7, 5, 3, 2, 1). The maximum points available in Switzerland are 46. Furthermore, the calendar is divided in two parts and each driver can only score his four best results in each of the two halves of the season.

Current leader Rossetti will not discard any result. As for Betti, who lies 30 points adrift of his fellow countryman, the task will be a little more arduous since he must do much better than his rival in Wallis and will have to deduct the 12 points scored in the Czech Republic.

Fighting hard for the third place of the Old Continent series, Czech Antonin Tlust'ák (Skoda Fabia S2000) and Pole Maciej Oleksowicz (Ford Fiesta S2000) will also be part of the event.
Another rally star, habitué of the World Rally Championship in the Production category, will also mingle in the debates, Portuguese Bernardo Sousa (Peugeot 207 S2000).

The situation in the Swiss Rally Championship is quite similar with 26 points separating the first two drivers. Leader Ivan Ballinari (Peugeot 207 S2000) will have to discard his worth result of the season, unlike Laurent Reuche (Peugeot 207 S2000) who can still beat him on the post. Both will be serious contenders for the final victory. Three more S2000 cars complete this exciting field, bringing their total to 10: the Peugeot 207s of Nicolas Althaus and former ski champion Philippe Roux, as well as the Abarth Grande Punto of Laurent Luyet.

Eight-time winner of the Rallye International du Valais, Olivier Burri will drive a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X entered in class 3 (the former group N4). He will face strong opposition from Florian Gonon (Subaru Impreza), Rüdi Schmidlin (Mitsubishi Evolution VIII) and Jean-Philippe Radoux (Mitsubishi Evolution IX), among others.

Olivier's son, Michael Burri will be at the wheel of his usual Citroën DS3 R3 with which he took the class victory in Germany and in France. In that same class 5, Burri Jr. will pit himself against Slovenia Rok Turk (Peugeot 207 R3T), who leads the 2 wheel drive category of the European Championship, but also very experienced drivers such as Olivier Gillet, Sébastien Carron (Renault Clio) and Antonio Galli (Citroën DS3).

The Rallye International du Valais is growing year after year. The quality of its organisation depends on every person's competency and on the appropriateness of the infrastructures. It is also the fruits of the state of the art timing and data transmission technologies used.

As a partner of the RIV, TAG Heuer has designed the new HL940 Start Clock, a breakthrough in the timing world, capable of recording 25000 times, fitted with a GPS and providing all the indispensable functions, such as split times, start intervals and countdown. Together with the Start Clock Manager software, which offers multiple configuration possibilities and an easy-to-use interface, this clock combines an analogical dial with a LED display and boasts about being the most advanced start timing device to date. A system also allows projecting the clock onto an additional screen for the spectators who can therefore see the same information as the driver on the starting line.

Always in the forefront of innovation, the Rallye International du Valais has also implemented the electronic time card where the handwritten annotations are replaced with stickers printed directly from the timing system, minimising considerably the risk of human mistakes. Finally, the cars' tracking system is provided by a sophisticated system developed by Movado Solutions and associating GPS and GSM technologies.

All the data collected from the whole system are then transmitted without delay to the race control and to the calculation bureau. The Medias present on the rally are provided with conventionally printed results, while the classifications are available in real time on the Internet, as well as on the last generation mobile phones thanks to the iPhone and Android applications.

The 52th Rallye International du Valais, 11th and last round of the FIA European Rally Championship, will benefit from an important TV coverage with, among others, six 30-minute prime-time live broadcasts. While the negotiations are still underway to reach agreements with more channels, the arrangements made to date concern 26 countries, of which the broadcasters reach nearly 33 million households: Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, The Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and Ukraine.

Live broadcast schedule:
Thursday 27 October 2011 19:30 - 20:00
Friday 28 October 2011 12:00 - 12:30
Friday 28 October 2011 15:00 - 15:30
Friday 28 October 2011 18:00 - 18:30
Saturday 29 October 2011 12:00 - 12:30
Saturday 29 October 2011 16:45 - 17:15

Today, Friday 26 August, marks the opening date for entry in the 52^nd Rallye International du Valais.

As usual, the organizing team has spared no efforts to provide a high quality competition. Just like last year, it will be the final round of the 2010 FIA European Rally Championship.

The 52^nd Rallye International du Valais features just over 260 kilometres of special stages, most of them familiar to the regular visitors of the most important event in Swiss motor sport but with its traditional amount of new things.

The race will begin on Thursday 27 October and will draw to an end on Saturday 29 October at the CERM (Centre d'Expositions et de Réunions de Martigny), which hosts the service park.

At the top in the hierarchy of international events thanks to its commendable, well trained organisation, the Rallye International du Valais offers first class infrastructures. This year, in addition to the European and Swiss championships, as well as the 2WD European Cup, it counts towards the Citroën Racing Trophy, the Ford Racing Trophy, the Renault Clio R3 Pirelli Swiss Trophy and the Renault Twingo R1 Pirelli Swiss Trophy.

Of course, privateers are very welcome. The organiser is at the entire disposal of foreign crews who consider entering this 52^nd edition to provide them with the conditions, in particular the accommodation terms.

We look forward to meeting you in Martigny for this 52nd edition of the Rallye International du Valais.

Born in 1960 on the «October tea» producers' initiative, the Rallye du Vin (Rally of the Wine) has progressively moved on to become not only the most important road competition in Switzerland but also an event that matters in the international calendar. This adventure, which celebrated its half century at the end of 2009, well deserved to be praised. This took the form of a 272-page book, co-signed by Michel Busset, a motor sport journalist, and his fellow member Jean-Paul Riondel of Valais.

Each one of the 50 editions is brought back to life in text and pictures – about  400 photographs illustrate the work.

Some forgotten cars are reminiscent of the early times, when the rally was not yet a reserved area for sportscars or even, as is nowadays the case, for machineries specifically intended for competition. Indeed, a Renault Dauphine and a Peugeot 404 appear on the roll of honour.

Famous names such as those of Jean Ragnotti, Harald Demuth, Jimmy McRae, Sepp Haider, Robert Droogmans, Piero Liatti, François Delecour, Freddy Loix or Per Eklund demonstrate that the Rallye du Vin, which soon became the Rallye du Valais et du Vin, then the Rallye international du Valais, has been able to attract some heavyweight European driving figures over the years. Obviously, the Swiss drivers are far from being left behind, in particular Olivier Burri, who holds the record of victories with eight triumphs, and Philippe Roux, who achieved a string of podium positions.

The proper history of the rally is split in five chapters - one for each decade - titled: the genesis (1960-1969), the age of reason (1970-1979), the foreign legions (1980-1989), the Burri era (1990-1999), the international recognition (2000-2009).

After a section dedicated to twenty or so photographs out of the ordinary, funny, spectacular or aesthetically pleasing, the floor is given to a number of great witnesses. Bernard Dirren, Pierre-Antoine Gschwend and the current chief, Christian Dubuis, represent the organisers. Brothers Jean-Marie, Philippe and Christian Carron, Philippe Roux and Olivier Burri stand for the actors.

Finally, carte blanche was given to a journalist, Pascal Busset, who takes an offbeat look on the rally. As far as the results of all the editions are concerned, they are recapped in great detail at the end of the book, except those of the events from 1961-1964.


RALLYE DU VALAIS 1960-2009, l’épopée du demi-siècle. Editions de l’Orient. Michel Busset and Jean-Paul Riondel. 272 pages, 400 black and white and colour photographs. Price: CHF 125.00. Orders: Editions de l’Orient, Fûves 5, 1341 L’Orient. Cet adresse mail est protégé contre les spambots. Vous avez d'activer le javascript pour la visualiser.