Thierry Renaud lost his life in an accident that occurred at about 12h00 on Saturday, 01 April 1995, shortly after the start of a special stage between Trigance and Comps-sur-Artuby, department of Var, France, during the Rallye Grasse-Alpin. He was co-driving to Philippe Bugalski, in a works Renault Clio Maxi. The event was a round of both the 1995 European Rally and French Rally championships.
While dicing for the lead with the Ford Escort RS Cosworth of Patrick Bernardini-Jean-Marc Andrié, Bugalski lost control of his car, which went off the road, crashed into a tree and caught fire. Renaud was killed upon impact, Bugalski escaped unhurt.
An experienced rally co-driver, Thierry Renaud, aged 27, started his career in 1985, co-driving to Jean-Pierre Bochatay. He then guided Bruno De Faveri and Philippe Mermet, and in 1993 he raced alongside Yves Loubet, former European Rally Champion, in a Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD, before joining Bugalski at Société Diac team, the works Renault rally team. That was the beginning of a long-lasting friendship. In 1994 the pair contested the French Rally Championship in a factory Renault Clio Williams, scoring several class victories and a second overall in the Rallye du Var and a fifth place in the Rallye d'Antibes-Rallye d'Azur.
In 1995 Bugalski and Renaud progressed to a Renault Clio Maxi, battling for the lead of their class in the early stages of the Rallye de Monte-Carlo, until they were forced into a withdraw, after an accident during a displacement stage.
Bernardini-Andrié in a Ford Escort RS Cosworth eventually won the Rallye Grasse-Alpin, from Marco Massarotto-Jean-Pierre Gordon in a Subaru Impreza 555. During the same weekend in which Thierry Renaud lost his life, a second rally fatality occurred in France, when René Buffard was killed in Saône-et-Loire department.
R.I.P
