Thomas Robineau Makes a Major Impact at Le Mans
Thomas Robineau (#75 - MAN) made a major impact at Le Mans. Winner of the 24 Heures Camions, the local driver achieved a double by taking the lead in the championship. Téo Calvet (#20 - Freightliner) had nevertheless made a perfect start to his weekend, before an incident involving him completely turned everything upside down. Raphaël Sousa (#21 - Freightliner) and Jonathan André (#44 - MAN) complete the podium.
Thomas Robineau won at home in Le Mans during the 41st edition of the 24 Heures Camions, the fifth and penultimate round of the 2026 FFSA French Truck Racing Championship. An event that marked a turning point in the overall standings. And yet, nothing seemed to be going in favour of the local driver after the first day. Téo Calvet arrived in Le Mans at the top of the overall standings and full of confidence after winning all four races of the Grand-Prix Camions de Magny-Cours in early July. The reigning French champion even made a perfect start to the weekend in the Sarthe by taking pole position before winning both Saturday races. He notably won the prestigious night race after an incredible scenario, taking victory in the final corner of the final lap.
The Turning Point
But Sunday turned into a nightmare. Having taken his second pole position of the weekend, Téo Calvet was hit by José Sousa (#22 - Freightliner) at the very beginning of Race 3. Sent into the gravel, he managed to get going again before suffering a puncture that forced him to retire. Thomas Robineau could not have asked for more and won without being challenged. His two podium finishes on Saturday, added to this victory in Race 3 and his 4th place in the final race, ultimately secured him overall victory. Calvet nevertheless finished on a positive note. Forced to start from 24th position in Race 4, he made a spectacular comeback to claim 6th place. Despite this performance, he finished just outside the GP podium. After this event full of twists and turns, Thomas Robineau therefore leaves Le Mans at the top of the drivers’ standings. But nothing has been decided yet. The French championship title will be decided at the grand finale in Albi, on 10 and 11 October.
The Sousa-André Show
With Calvet sidelined, the opportunity was obviously a good one for his rivals to secure a place on the podium. A situation rare enough this season to be worth highlighting. And while Thomas Robineau comfortably won the 24 Heures Camions, the battle for the honour positions was extremely close. Raphaël Sousa (#21 - Freightliner) and Jonathan André (#44 - MAN) put on a show throughout the weekend, and there was very little to separate them. After the four races, just one point separated the two drivers, in favour of Raphaël Sousa, who took 2nd place in the Grand Prix ahead of Jonathan André.
The battle was just as undecided behind them. Only two points separated Téo Calvet, 4th, from Matthieu Bernard (#89 - MAN), 7th, with Lionel Montagne (#40 – Renault Trucks), 5th, and Ivan Rodrigues (#94 - MAN), 6th, in between. Calvet and Montagne even finished tied on points, but the two victories of the reigning champion allowed them to be separated in his favour. The same scenario occurred between Rodrigues and Bernard: tied on points, the former took the advantage thanks to his better results in the main races. Anthony Robineau did not have the weekend he had hoped for. Consistent but lacking performance, the driver of the No. 8 MAN finished the Grand Prix in 8th place, like his race number. But in front of his home crowd, he was certainly aiming for more.
Hergott’s First Win
Ninth in the Grand Prix, Aurélien Hergott (#10 - DAF) will remember this 41st edition of the 24 Heures Camions for a long time. After a rather quiet start to the weekend, the DAF driver concluded his Le Mans event in the best possible way. In Race 4, starting from pole position, he led from the first to the last lap despite enormous pressure behind him. Strong all the way to the chequered flag, he secured his very first victory in the category. A real achievement for the driver and his entire team, nine years after their debut in the category. Hats off! José Sousa finished 10th in the Grand Prix despite being capable of much better. His start to the weekend had been good, with 5th place in Race 1, followed by a superb 2nd place in the night race. But his retirement in Race 3, following his incident with Téo Calvet, weighed heavily and ruined his hopes of finishing higher up the standings.
Just Outside the Top 10
Yorick Montagne (#24 – Renault Trucks) experienced a return to competition that was probably more difficult than he had imagined. Classified 11th in the Grand Prix, he unfortunately failed to put everything together to return to the leading positions. But we know the driver’s qualities and his ability to bounce back. There is no doubt that he will regain his rhythm in Albi. The reigning French Junior champion Antoine Languillat (#31 - IVECO) and Guillaume Machecourt (#58 - MAN) concluded a satisfactory meeting in 12th and 13th positions. The result was more complicated, however, for the Rivals brothers. Used to battling for positions just outside the top 10, Lucas (#15 – Renault Trucks) and Romain (#17 – Renault Trucks) had to settle for 14th and 15th places this time. Always well placed, Anthony Rommé (#71 – Renault Trucks) can be satisfied with his meeting. With the objective of fighting for the top 15, he ultimately finished 16th in the Grand Prix, in contact with drivers and teams with greater resources than the Créteil team. An encouraging result given the competition.
Battles at Every Level
Among the veterans, Guillaume Martin (#25 - MAN) delivered a solid performance by taking 17th place in the Grand Prix. Pierre Parsus (#69 – DAF) and Céline Miral (#77 - DAF), meanwhile, finished 25th and 26th. Jennifer Janiec (#66 - MAN), the only female driver to have competed in every round this season, did not disappoint at the Bugatti Circuit. Consistent throughout the weekend, she secured a very fine 18th-place finish. Finally, it would be impossible to close this review without mentioning all those who also contributed to the celebration and the spectacle on track in front of the 79,500 spectators present throughout the weekend: Pierre Ihuel (#64 - Volvo), Nathan Defaye (#18 - Renault Trucks), Fabrice Chaignaud (#74 - SCANIA), Anthony Daguier (#23 - Renault Trucks), Romain Boiteux (#73 - Renault Trucks), Thomas Verdier (#42 - IVECO), Dimitri Treuvey (#30 - MAN), Fabien Néel (#14 - Renault Trucks), Florian Defaye (#16 - Renault Trucks), Enzo Néel (#88 - SCANIA) and Kévin Bassanelli (#11 - DAF).
