Spa Rally 16 RC2 cars at the start, Mikkelsen the favourite
The Spa Rally, which is the traditional high-profile finale of the Belgian Rally Championship, returns on November 29thand 30th with an impressive lineup. Alongside the four Porsche 992 Rally GTs driven by Cédric Cherain, Gino Bux, John Wartique, and Romain Delhez, and the Alpine A110 RGT+ of Maxime Potty (competing out of classification), there will also be 16 RC2 cars (Rally2s and R5s) at the start.
Andreas Mikkelsen is the clear favourite. He will be co-driven by Pieter Tsjoen, an eight-time Belgian rally champion. Mikkelsen, who has won three WRC rounds and is a two-time WRC2 world champion, is expected to be at the front of the 2025 DG Sport-organized event. He will drive a Toyota GR Rally2 prepared by Pieter Tsjoen Racing. German driver Björn Satorius, a regular winner in his own national championship, will also compete in a similar Japanese machine.
To counter Mikkelsen, all eyes are on the two Hyundai i20 N Rally2s fielded by Lifelive Motorsport. Both Cédric De Cecco and Tom Rensonnet are local drivers who are determined to end the season on a positive note, so they can start preparations for 2026 in the best possible way. This is also the case for Emile Breittmayer, who has an experienced co-driver in a certain Stéphane Prévot, who should allow him to regularly run at the front.
Two young guns will also be worth keeping an eye on at Spa: Thomas Martens, with bags of experience in the Junior WRC and recent winner of the Rallye-Sprint Villersois with the Citroën C3 Rally2, and Tom Heindrichs, back in Belgium after winning his international title in the Opel E-Rally Cup. He too will drive a C3 Rally2. Two drivers who could surprise many followers from the very first kilometres!
Louis Nuyts, meanwhile, comes from regional competitions and aims to pit himself against national and international competitors with his Skoda Fabia R5 Evo. The Czech car will also be the weapon of choice for Harry Bouillon, Thibaud Mazuin, and the Dutchmen Bernhard Ten Brinke and Richard Pex, who will drive the RS Rally2 version of the Fabia. Another Dutchman, Peter Van Merksteijn, wants to showcase his slightly older Volkswagen Polo GTi R5, a car that still has plenty of potential!
Jimmy D’Hondt is a regular in the BRC with his Citroën C3 Rally2, and Emmanuel Gonay will be at the start in Spa for the fourth time, determined to have a good time and secure a top-ten finish. Tommy Rollinger will be able to bring back some great memories with his Peugeot 208 T16 R5.
This impressive RC2 class peloton is completed by three Renault Clio Rally3s, which will follow in their wake – or even higher up the rankings! The battle between local hero Pierre Hubin, Xavier Dekeyser, and Benoit Verlinde will be definitely worth watching.
As you can see, the 2025 Spa Rally could hold quite a few surprises!
