Martell secures another podium in France!
Following the first race of the 2026 French Gravel Rallye Championship, Conner Martell and Alex Gelsomino returned to the south of France earlier this month for the second round of the series “Rally Terre de Causses”. Racing against the top competitors in the series from “Florent Todeschini” to Martells teammate on Team 2C Competition “Sarah Rumeau”. The event provided some of the closest racing and battles witnessed in quite some time.
Photo: Bastien Roux
A high speed rally on roads that are vastly different in comparison to the first round of the series, Martell felt confident as the stages provided similarities to many of the roads in the American Rally Championship. The weekend was spent battling back and forth with his teammate “Sarah Rumeau” who ultimately finished first overall with a nail biting final stage to determine the events winner between the two competitors.
Photo: Bastien Roux
Martell, although disappointed with his second place finished secured himself the chance to race at the third round of the series “Rallye Terre d’Aléria” on the island of Corsica in May. All of these events have provided him with the opportunity to get more seat time before making his WRC debut in the coming months. Martell had this to say about the event.
“ Although it wasn’t the result we wanted, Alex and I had a very solid weekend and continued to progress our learning curve of same day recce and learning to trust our notes with a single pass. There is nothing quite like the French Gravel Rallye series and it has improved both my driving and race craft exponentially.”
Photo: Bastien Roux
Keep your eye out for the third round of the series in Corsica as Martell & Gelsomino aim to finally take the top step of the podium and establish themselves as contenders for the overall championship as well as supporting 2C Competitions pursuit of acquiring more points for the “Team Championship”! Watch the Youtube recap of the event below:
Video: Justin Jenny