Citroen Challenge Feminin

Challenge drivers in 2004

The Citroen Challenge Féminin was a rallycross series for women, which ran between 2003 and 2006, when Citroen withdrew its support. It featured as part of French Rallycross Championship meetings and acted as an extra race for female competitors in the mixed Citroen Challenge. Initially, the cars used were Saxos, but these were superseded by the C2, upon its introduction in 2004. The first three championships were won by Catherine Planche. Veronique Patier, a consistent runner-up, triumphed in 2006.

The series attracted quite a large field, and had some crossover with the Andros Trophée Feminin grids of the time. Some of the drivers used it as a stepping stone to higher levels of rallycross competition, but others, despite doing well, did not compete outside it. Among the entrants who went on to greater things are Anne-Sophie and Marie-Laure Lemonnier, and Celine Menier, who all compete (or competed) with varying degrees of success in the main classes of the French Rallycross Championship. Veronique Patier and Catherine Planche now compete in different areas of motorsport.

2003 Championship:
1. Catherine Planche
2. Sophie Gaillard
3. Sandra Bessas

2004 Championship:
1. Catherine Planche
2. Veronique Patier
3. Marie-Laure Lemonnier
4. Stephanie Liger
5. Anne-Sophie Lemonnier
6. Sandra Bessas

2005 Championship:
1. Catherine Planche
2. Veronique Patier
3. Anne-Sophie Lemonnier
4. Marie-Laure Lemonnier
5. Stephanie Liger
6. Aurelie Salviat
7. Delphine Picoty

2006 Championship:
1. Veronique Patier
2. Aurelie Salviat
3. Anne-Sophie Lemonnier
4. Marie-Laure Lemonnier
5. Isabelle Poncet

(Image from http://rallycross-news.pagesperso-orange.fr/coupec2.htm)