Cristian Vandelle & Yves Manni's Fatal Crash @ Rallye Épernay Vins de Champagne 1996 (Aftermath)
- 6 months ago
The first edition of the Rallye Épernay Vins de Champagne, held in Marne department, northeastern France, was stopped in consequence of a fatal accident which resulted in the deaths of two competitors.
It happened on Sunday, 31 March 1996. The experienced French driver Cristian Vandelle and his co-driver Yves Manni lost their lives on the second day of rally. They retired one day earlier from the event but the organizer asked them to follow the rally as a course car the next day. During a displacement stage, their Honda Civic #000 initially entered with the race number #64 went out of control and crashed into a house wall with fatal consequences to both racers.
Cristian Vandelle was a well known driver who participated in French and European rallies since the mid-1980s, including the Belgian events Lotto Bianchi Rally and the Ypres 24 Hours Rally. In 1988 he finished 17th in his class, 61th place overall in the harrowing 1000 Lakes Rally, then a round of the World Rally Championship, co-driven by Gérard Dufrane of Belgium in a Mazda 323 4WD. An occasional hillclimber, Vandelle also started the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in 1995, sharing a Honda Civic entered by Team VZM with fellow Frenchmen Jean-Louis Probst and Patrick Charlot, but they failed to finish the race due to engine trouble.
Nothing is virtually known about Yves Manni's life and racing career, other than that the 1996 Rallye National Épernay Vins de Champagne was his first rally start alongside Vandelle.
R.I.P
It happened on Sunday, 31 March 1996. The experienced French driver Cristian Vandelle and his co-driver Yves Manni lost their lives on the second day of rally. They retired one day earlier from the event but the organizer asked them to follow the rally as a course car the next day. During a displacement stage, their Honda Civic #000 initially entered with the race number #64 went out of control and crashed into a house wall with fatal consequences to both racers.
Cristian Vandelle was a well known driver who participated in French and European rallies since the mid-1980s, including the Belgian events Lotto Bianchi Rally and the Ypres 24 Hours Rally. In 1988 he finished 17th in his class, 61th place overall in the harrowing 1000 Lakes Rally, then a round of the World Rally Championship, co-driven by Gérard Dufrane of Belgium in a Mazda 323 4WD. An occasional hillclimber, Vandelle also started the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in 1995, sharing a Honda Civic entered by Team VZM with fellow Frenchmen Jean-Louis Probst and Patrick Charlot, but they failed to finish the race due to engine trouble.
Nothing is virtually known about Yves Manni's life and racing career, other than that the 1996 Rallye National Épernay Vins de Champagne was his first rally start alongside Vandelle.
R.I.P