Stellantis Rally Cup Pierre-Manuel Brasseur first winner of the season!
The 2024 Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux got off to a start as part of the 41st edition of the Rallye de Wallonie. Things were extremely exciting on the fast stages, which were made even more difficult by the ever-changing weather conditions!
It’s become a tradition: the fight on the stages is now decided by tenths of a second. During the first stages on Saturday morning, Pierre-Manuel Brasseur and Hugo Cravillon (Opel Corsa Rally4) were at it hammer and tongs with Tom Heindrichs and Jonas Schmitz (Opel Corsa Rally4). The two duos would eventually set almost all the fastest times of the opening day, only leaving stage 7 to Jonas Dewilde and Jens De Splenter (Opel Corsa Rally4).
That their duel was incredibly intense was also proven by the gaps between the leaders: it was rarely bigger than a few tenths of a second. What’s more: in stage 9, the third running of Mohiville-Nettinne, Brasseur and Heindrichs set the exact same time! Ultimately, the young man from Sankt Vith ended the first day as leader, with a mere 1.6 seconds in hand over Brasseur.
On Sunday morning they both continued in the same way… but they both made a mistake during the first passage on the Nannine stage as well! Fortunately, both Tom Heindrichs and Pierre-Manuel Brasseur were able to continue. During the following stages, Brasseur gradually pulled away from Heindrichs, eventually winning it by 25.4 seconds. The Rallye de Wallonie may have received its verdict, but the remainder of the season promises to be extremely exciting!
“I have no words for this,” said Pierre-Manuel Brasseur, who on his debut in the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux immediately took the win. “We had simply never driven the car before the start of this rally. Together with my codriver Hugo Cravillon, we aimed for a top-five finish. Things turned out a little differently, and in the end, we even managed to win! I would like to congratulate and thank the entire CRT Sport team, they have done a fantastic job. Now we still have to fine-tune a few details to fully master the behaviour of the Opel Corsa Rally4, after which we can focus on the next challenge, the Sezoensrally in Bocholt.”
Behind Brasseur and Heindrichs, two other young wolves also managed to impress during the Rallye de Wallonie. Jonas Dewilde, comfortable leader in the Junior BRC, eventually occupied the third step of the podium, while Maxim Decock and Tom Buyse (Opel Corsa Rally4) set no fewer than three fastest times. A boost after the scary moment at the end of the first stage in Mohiville! In the end, it turned out not to be too bad, and they will certainly be contenders in the future.
Slovenians Mark Skulj and Rebeka Kobal (Opel Corsa Rally4) drove to a top 5 finish on their debut on the Belgian rally roads. We will see them again in the Sezoensrally, after competing in a rally on home soil to gain the necessary mileage. The young German Lukas Thiele (Opel Corsa Rally4), with Ann Felke at his side, brought smiles to the faces of the family-run team with the points for sixth place. He finished in front of Steven Spittaels and Gilles Hendrick (Peugeot 208 Rally4) – who did not feel at ease in the rain – and the duo Manuel Merlevede/Thomas Cloet (Opel Corsa Rally4), who lost some time due to problems with the power steering.
There was only one retirement in the Rallye de Wallonie, that of Luxemburg driver Steve Fernandes (Peugeot 208 Rally4) and co Florian Volvert, who chose to throw in the towel with a differential issue.
“The conclusion after this first round of the 2024 Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux is more than positive,” says coordinator Davie Meert. “Pierre-Manuel Brasseur and Tom Heindrichs had an exciting fight, and everyone learned a lot from this rally. In the Sezoensrally we will have even more promising young drivers at the start, such as Lander Depotter and Benoit Verlinde. Irishman Niall O’Sullivan, who was already present last year, is also making his comeback on the atypical stages around Bocholt.”
And we don’t even have to wait three weeks for the Sezoensrally…
