Fourmaux, competing for the first time in Hyundai’s Rally1 car, was significantly faster than Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä on the first two special stages. On the opening stage, Fourmaux beat the Finnish star by 3.8 seconds, and on the second stage, the gap extended to nearly 20 seconds.
The conditions are far from easy, as the Hivernal Rally is known for its snow, slush, and mud. The over 24-kilometre-long SS2 saw the French driver clearly outpace Rovanperä, but it’s worth noting that no major conclusions can be drawn, as details such as the drivers’ tyre choices remain unknown.
In any case, the Hivernal Rally in France is now being contested for the first time without the hybrid unit. These units will no longer feature in the top category of the WRC from next season onwards. For the first time, Hankook tyres are also being used, as the South Korean brand replaced Pirelli, which withdrew as the official WRC tyre supplier after this season.
Rovanperä competed in only select events this past season but will return as a full-time rally driver next year. Both Rovanperä and Fourmaux are using the Hivernal Rally to prepare for the opening event of the 2025 season. The upcoming season will kick off once again with the legendary Monte Carlo Rally, now just over a month away.
The new rally year is approaching fast, as only on Friday the FIA honoured this year’s best drivers in Rwanda. A tight preparation period lies ahead, as there is much to learn with the new tyres and the updated cars, following the removal of hybrid units and the reduction of the restrictor size.
“We were just saying yesterday that it feels like this isn’t the end of the season, but rather the immediate start of a new one. Everything is fine, though,” Rovanperä told RallyJournal.com in France.
After two special stages, Fourmaux leads by 22.2 seconds ahead of Rovanperä. On Saturday, the Hivernal Rally features two more stages in the evening darkness, while Sunday’s programme includes six more stages.
Standings after SS2/10:
| POS. | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | 20:26.8 |
| 2. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +22.9 |
| 3. | Matthieu Margaillan | Skoda | +49.5 |
| 4. | Jonathan Hirschi | Citroen | +1:18.4 |
| 5. | Damien Oberti | Skoda | +1:35.1 |
| 6. | Victor Cartier | Toyota | +1:49.8 |
