Spa Rally Deflandre-Gengoux winners and champions in VHRS 65Jacobs-Frankenberg lead from start to finish in VHRS 50

Although the second leg of the 2025 Spa Rally Classic was shorter than the previous day’s, with three runs through the regularity tests of Theux and Ster, the difficulty level was set to be high! On roads covered in mud, Yves Deflandre and Baptiste Gengoux (Porsche 911) immediately made the difference during the opening loop, especially as René Georges and Romain Lahaye (Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk1) were being overly cautious. This allowed Dave Cuynen and Jens Vanoverschelde (BMW 320i E30) to climb into second place in the provisional standings, while Koen Verlinde and Bjorn Clauw (Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk2) also had their sights set on the podium.

At the top of the standings, the situation remained unchanged. The Deflandre-Gengoux duo clinched victory and the title to round off a magnificent national season, with a total of 182.35 points. “It was slippery and treacherous, and we had to be twice as attentive”, commented the 2025 Belgian champions. “But what an incredible thrill, what a joy! We still made sure we played it safe in the last RT at Theux to avoid throwing everything away, while maintaining a high pace. What a beautiful finale…”

The battle, however, raged on to the very end for the other podium places in Spa! After a mixed morning, René Georges and Romain Lahaye found renewed strength to retake second place, finishing 117.85 points behind the winners. That was enough for them to move back ahead of Dave Cuynen and Jens Vanoverschelde (316.01 points), while the top five was completed by Koen Verlinde and Bjorn Clauw (323.26 points), as well as Frenchman Christophe Baillet partnered by Jean-Marc Piret (Ford Escort Mk2, 380.03 points). They finished on a strong note, setting the best performance twice to end the event 197.68 points behind the winners. Michael Bartholemy and Patrick Lienne (Ford Escort Mk1 – 425.23 points) finished sixth, ahead of Benoit and Denis Regnier (BMW 320i E21 – 472.32 points), who came back from nowhere after a major mechanical intervention on Saturday evening!

The situation was more stable in VHRS 50 on Sunday, with Felix Jacobs and Frank Frankenberg (Porsche 912 – 101.49 points) continuing their domination, occasionally letting Dirk Van Rompuy and Pablo Cracco (Porsche 911) take the spotlight during certain RTs.

Chasing the leading Porsche, the Thibaut family and their Mazda 323s never gave up, with Michel, co-driven by 2025 champion Christian Bernard (161.11 points), finishing ahead of Gilles and teammate François Souka (177.39 points). Van Rompuy and Cracco (216.37 points) ended up fourth overall, ahead of Clemens and Harald Noe (400.98 points), who certainly did not disgrace themselves with their Lancia Delta HF Integrale.

“A superb edition without the slightest major issue, and above all without any off-road excursions despite the treacherous conditions”, commented Spa Rally Classic organiser Yves Noelanders. “Timekeeping was perfect, and during the final Regroup, the words of thanks were pouring in! Even though they were challenged, the competitors undoubtedly tackled the two finest regularity tests of the season at Theux and Ster this Sunday. We can’t wait for next year…”