However, the first place did not come easily as his fellow countryman Mathieu Franceschi was only 2.8 seconds behind. For Bonato, this victory marks his third in the European Rally Championship, having also celebrated a win in Catalonia during the 2022 season.
Bonato does not compete in the full ERC series, so the result is particularly outstanding for Franceschi, typically known as a gravel specialist.
“It was really easy, no problem! But the driver of the weekend is still Mathieu, for whom this result is great considering the championship. The driver of the weekend is Franceschi and it’s good for him in the championship, I hope he can win at the end of the season. The rally win is good for us, good for my team and good for my family who are here.” said the 41-year-old Bonato, glowing with excitement.
“I feel really good, it was an amazing weekend again. It’s amazing, we don’t expect to be in this place in asphalt because I need to learn on asphalt,” added Franceschi.
Spanish driver Alejandro Cachon clinched the third place with a strong finish, having led the rally before a tire blowout on Friday. Cachon edged out his countryman Diego Ruiloba by 2.7 seconds.
Spanish driver Jose Suarez finished fifth, while Hayden Paddon from the WRC fell from third to sixth during the final special stages.
“This weekend has been massively competitive, possibly one of the most competitive I’ve ever done. Not the result we wanted, but not for lack of trying. Hats off to the Spanish guys, we haven’t had a bad weekend but if you look at the result it looks bad,” commented Paddon.
Ford driver Jon Armstrong finished seventh, ahead of Mads Östberg and Yeray Lema. Norwegian driver Östberg’s pace was nowhere to be found on tarmac throughout the weekend.
The European Rally Championship continues in June in Sweden. Franceschi, with his second-place finish, moved to the top of the championship standings ahead of Paddon.
Results of the Rally Islas Canarias:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Yoann Bonato | Citroen | 1:57:18.8 |
| 2. | Mathieu Franceschi | Skoda | +2.8 |
| 3. | Alejandro Cachon | Toyota | +29.7 |
| 4. | Diego Ruiloba | Citroen | +32.4 |
| 5. | Jose Suarez | Skoda | +35.3 |
| 6. | Hayden Paddon | Hyundai | +40.9 |
| 7. | Jon Armstrong | Ford | +59.1 |
| 8. | Mads Østberg | Citroen | +1:01.0 |
| 9. | Yeray Lemes | Citroen | +1:12.6 |
| 10. | Simon Wagner | Skoda | +1:17.7 |
