Two of the morning special stages canceled – “when I woke up at 4 a.m., I was surprised by the amount of snow”, explained on the regional radio “Fréquence Jura” the head of security, Gérald Frésard -, the Critérium Jurassien 2022 was finally won by Prévôtois Michael Burri (VW Polo), the son of Olivier, the Swiss legend of the discipline.
This is Burri Junior’s second victory in the traditional event, which was ultimately contested over 88 km of pure speed, in extremely tricky conditions (wet roads, remnants of snow, mud). If the defending champion, the Valaisan Mike Coppens, who was driving a Citroën C3 for the first time, finally finished second, the other great man of the day will have been the Neuchâtelois Jonathan Hirschi (VW Polo) who, seven years following his last attempts in rallies – in the meantime, he shone on the circuit, notably at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – has lost none of his drive.
He also set four of the six “scratch” times, but the St-Brais – La Combe special was doubly fatal to him: going off the road in a field during the first pass cost him almost 30 seconds, before he puncture at the very end of the race put an end to his hopes of victory, when he was 15 seconds behind Burri. Hirschi, who will participate in all the races of the championship, nevertheless climbs on the third step of the podium. Next event: the Chablais rally, June 3 and 4.
