Three special stages were on the program for the first day of the 8th edition of the Rallye Jovena yesterday, highlighted by a fierce battle between Mathieu and Olivier.
An ASACM trio takes the lead. The crew from the ASACM club, Mathieu Andrianjafy and Nathanaël, driving a Subaru Impreza, finished first at the end of the first leg of the 8th Rallye Jovena yesterday. The day consisted of three special stages, during which the Mathieu-Nath duo achieved the second-best times.
The crew of Olivier and Ny Anjara, in a Mitsubishi Evo X, set the scratch time in the first two stages of Anjeva-Masindray (7.140 km), completing both runs in 05:33.1. Mathieu trailed by 0:02.2 in SS1 and 0:04.3 in SS2.
The final stage of the day, the night spectator super-special in Amoronakona, was dominated by the crew of Frédéric Rabekoto and Andry Tahina in a Mitsubishi Evo X, who clocked the best time of 1:27.2. Mathieu followed closely with +0:01.3.
In the overall standings after the inaugural day, Mathieu took the lead (12:41.2) ahead of Olivier (+0:02.3). “Everything is going well so far, nothing to report regarding the car. The tracks in Antananarivo remain the same: dusty, straight lines, with some sections being quite rough,” said Mathieu Andrianjafy.
Neck and Neck
After setting two scratch times in the Anjeva-Masindray stage, Olivier missed a turn just before crossing the finish line of the slalom in Amoronakona, losing time during the maneuver. “We tried to set our own pace. We took the wrong route, not as indicated in the road book, and we fell a bit behind,” Olivier lamented.
Fred currently sits in third place, having set the third-best times in the first two stages and a scratch time at the Amoronakona night slalom. “We are still getting used to the car. We are trying to gradually increase our pace,” Fred mentioned.
The mixed father-daughter crew of Tahina and Fitia Razafinjoelina, driving a Subaru, finished just off the podium, followed by the duo Esteban and Patou, also in a Subaru. Six special stages are on the menu for competitors this Saturday, with the battle between the top three expected to be even more intense.
Schedule
Saturday, June 20:
09:23 (SS4) Betafo Ambohibaoladina-Miadamanjaka 1 (17.61 km)
10:30 (SS5) CEG Androrohoro-Ankadindriana 1 (6.53 km)
13:05 (SS6) Ankadinandriana-CEG Androrohoro 1 (6.73 km)
13:21 (SS7) Miadamanjaka-Anjeva 1 (11.53 km)
15:15 (SS8) Slalom Jovena 1 (1 km)
17:45 (SS9) Slalom Jovena 2 (1 km)
Sunday, June 21:
08:23 (SS10) Betafo Ambohibaoladina-Miadamanjaka 2 (17.61 km)
09:30 (SS11) CEG Androrohoro-Ankadindriana 2 (6.53 km)
12:20 (SS12) Ankadinandriana-CEG Androrohoro 2 (6.73 km)
12:36 (SS13) Miadamanjaka-Anjeva 2 (11.53 km)
14:15 (SS14) Slalom Jovena 3 (1 km)
By Serge Rasanda
Captured & Published at: 2026-06-20 06:31:13 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/06/rallye-jovena-8-mathieu-devance-de-peu.html