Spa Rally Over 60 duos will participate in the Spa Rally Classic!
The inaugural edition of the Belgian VHRS Championship, which is the national championship for regularity races held on closed and secured roads, has been a success. Nearly thirty duos have been at the start of almost every race. For the final event, the Spa Rally Classic, more than 60 duos will be competing in VHRS 65 and VHRS 50!
This positive outcome is a testament to the hard work that DG Sport has invested in developing a regularity side event. Under the guidance of the indispensable Yves Noelanders as coordinator and race director, alongside the expertise of JB Time Concept in managing the results, the Spa Rally Classic has gained significant traction. It’s important to note that participants in VHRS will complete the entire rally, driving through all 16 stages on Saturday and Sunday as regularity tests.
This year's final in Spa could see Yves Deflandre secure a well-deserved national title. Together with co-driver Baptiste Gengoux, the Porsche 911 driver is one of the favourites in VHRS 65 this weekend. However, they must remain vigilant against unpredictable conditions and strong competitors such as Michael Bartholemy and Patrick Lienne (Ford Escort Mk1), Benoit Scheen and Colin Barvaux (Ford Escort Mk2), Pierre Louys and Dominique Lejeune (MG B GT V8), Julie Kenis and Bjorn Clauw (BMW E30), East Belgian Rally-winners Alain Lamberty and Frank Frankenberg (Opel Ascona B), Gaëtan Monseur and Stéphane Szucs (BMW E30), Koen Verlinde and Marc Vandemoortele (Volkswagen Golf I), Sam De Wolf and Julie Cole (Porsche 924), Benoit Verlinde and Jens Vanoverschelde (Volkswagen Golf GTi II), Claude Ninane and Freddy Cara (Opel Kadett C), Filip De Munck and Kristof Vermant (Lada VFTS), Jean Dilley and Frederic van Rijckevorsel (Volvo Amazon), or even René Georges and Romain Lahaye (Volkswagen Golf I). This is just a partial list, but it highlights the strong competition for the VHRS 65 title in the Spa Rally Classic.
Additionally, we should mention that among co-drivers, Colin Barvaux is heading to Spa as the leader in the standings. In the title race, he will primarily contend with Bjorn Clauw and Baptiste Gengoux.
In VHRS 50, the title race is still wide open. Frenchman Jérôme Ambrosini, with co-driver Yves Thirionet (Audi 80 GT), will vie for the title against Mario Varrewaere (Nissan Sunny GTi), who always has Pablo Cracco by his side. Other noteworthy contenders include Alain Dominiczak and Julien Libioul (Triumph Dolomite Sprint), André Lamotte and Joseph Polet (Lancia Fulvia), André Neutelers and Guy Hardenne (Saab 99 EMS), Patrice Simon and Christian Bernard (Porsche 924 S), and the Mazda 323s of the Thibaut family, with Michel assisted by Philippe Verpoorten and Gilles by François Souka.
Some may believe that a regularity rally with an average speed of 65 or 50 km/h is less thrilling than a speed rally. However, given the challenging stages of the Spa Rally Classic and the almost wintry weather conditions, this last VHRS event promises to be very exciting!
