Spa Rally First national appearance for the Lancia Ypsilon Rally4
The final round of the Belgian Rally Championship, the Spa Rally, is the event where all titles are decided! This also applies to the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux, which until now has brought together Peugeot 208 Rally4s and Opel Corsa Rally4s. The use of the past tense, however, becomes appropriate as the Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 makes a notable appearance in the spa town. Even more so as Hugo Cravillon and Jean-François Blaise had the excellent idea of opting for a livery that brings back many memories! Something fans will undoubtedly appreciate.
Still, this final clash of the season is above all decisive for the title. Let’s be honest: there is little suspense, as Lander Depotter has dominated the competition. His recent victory in the East Belgian Rally gives him a 22-point advantage over German driver Lukas Thiele.
The young Dutch-speaking driver, co-driven by Jasper Maelfait, and the German, with Loris Elst alongside him, will both be present. To be certain of securing the title, Lander Depotter must finish on the final podium, regardless of Lukas Thiele’s result. The battle between these two Opel Corsa Rally4 crews will therefore be real, even if they will likely start with different objectives.
Three Peugeot 208 Rally4s will line up at the start of the Spa Rally. Corentin Fiasse with Adrien Hauteclair on one side, and Corentin Dozot with Coline Fallay on the other, will do everything in their power to finish the season on the final podium of the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux by overtaking Manuel Merlevede, who will not be competing.
Local drivers Sergio Plattes and Andreas Palm will no doubt take advantage of the intensity of the fight to try to spring a surprise and move up the Cup standings. To be continued…
Rally6 strongly represented
Stellantis Motorsport will also feature prominently in the RC6 class, home to the now well-known Rally6 cars, offering an ideal new entry point into rallying. As in RC4, the 208, Corsa and Ypsilon share the spotlight. The lion brand will be represented by Julien Collette and Xavier Huberlant, as well as Smail Haddouche and Marcel Grasges. They will face the Opel Corsa Rally6 of German driver Claire Schönborn, coming from Junior WRC, and Michael Wenzel, while Christian Jupsin and Michaël Louette will field the new Lancia Ypsilon Rally6, as will Bob Wohrmann and Thibaut Blaimont.
It will be particularly interesting to see where these Rally6 cars position themselves in the overall rankings.
As you probably understood, the 2025 Spa Rally is of course a battle for overall victory, but also features many races within the race.
