American rising star Conner Martell will drive a 2C-run Škoda at this weekend's French gravel series finale
Photography by Martell Racing
Words by David Evans, DirtFish Head of Media
Conner Martell will make his European debut at this weekend’s Rallye Terre de Vaucluse as he looks to validate the pace he showed to score a maiden ARA victory at September’s Overmountain Rally.
The 28-year-old will drive a 2C-run Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 against local opposition on the final round of the French gravel series.
“I’m excited to get to Vaucluse and see where we stack up,” said Martell. “We’ve been building momentum all season and this is the perfect chance to line up against other competitive Rally2 drivers.
“It’s my first European rally with a field this strong, so the plan is to learn fast and show what we’re capable of. The format is different with recce in the morning and racing in the afternoon, which puts the focus on writing good notes, trusting them, and getting comfortable on new roads right away.”
Martell is sporting a patriotic livery for his first ever rally outside of America
Having lifted this year’s French Gravel crown with five wins from six starts, fellow 2C driver Laurent Pellier will sit out the Courthézon-based event, but regulars such as Emmanuel Gascou and Stéphane Sarrazin’s son Pablo remain for the final two days, 12 stages and 100 competitive miles of the season.
Martell, who will be co-driven as usual by Alex Gelsomino, paid tribute to 2C and its knowledge of the French series, adding: “2C knows these stages and conditions extremely well, which gives us confidence on set-up and strategy.
“With Michelins on the car we have a tire package that will really help us manage grip as the surface changes. If we keep it clean, build speed each pass, and make smart calls, we will leave here stronger [and] with a clear read on our pace.”
Brandon Semenuk, who missed the final two ARA rounds of the season after winning his fourth American title early, took to the Finnish forests on a similar mission earlier this year. The Canadian was the talk of Kouvola after running two-time World Rally winner Esapekka Lappi a close second in the same car on July’s O.K. Auto-Ralli.
Words:David Evans
Tags: 2C, ARA, Conner Martell
Publish Date November 5, 2025 DirtFish
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