Stellantis Rally Cup Second victory for Pierre-Manuel Brasseur!
In the heart of the Westhoek and as part of the Ardeca Ypres Rally 2024, the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux once again proved how competitive the cup is and how sporty it is. Pierre-Manuel Brasseur and Hugo Cravillon may have won for the second time after their victory in the Rallye de Wallonie, but no fewer than six(!) duos managed to set at least one fastest time! What more could you want?
On the typical Ypres roads, the favourites answered to the names Jonas Dewilde, Maxim Decock and Lander Depotter. However, they had to deal with a Pierre-Manuel Brasseur in top form. He set the fastest time on the first stage on Friday afternoon… and never relinquished the lead afterwards, to conquer a resounding second victory! Thus, the Liège native confirmed his status as a title contender.
“This was not the scenario I expected,” said a happy Pierre-Manuel Brasseur after the finish. “Especially because these are the favourite stages of my immediate opponents. After the first stage, I thought I had been a bit cautious, but my time was fast enough to take the scratch! Afterwards, I focused on avoiding any mistakes or punctures, but I still managed to set four fastest times. I am the best performer in this rally and this second victory gives me confidence for the remainder of the season. Especially since the premiums I was able to collect here will allow me to be at the start of the East Belgian Rally!”
The drivers following Brasseur and Cravillon were hard at it as well. Many drivers topped the stage results at one point. Tom Heindrichs and Jonas Schmitz managed to record the fastest time three times, as did Lander Depotter and Jasper Maelfait. Jonas Dewilde and Jens De Splenter were the fastest duo four times and scored five bonus points by setting the quickest time in the Power Stage. This list is completed by Lander Dhaene and Dennis Vanspeybrouck, fastest in SS11, but also by Steve Fernandes and Florian Volvert, who proved unbeatable on the last passage over the infamous Kemmel!
Before the start of the final stage, Maxim Decock was still in second, but Jonas Dewilde’s scratch in the Power Stage of Dikkebus allowed him to jump Decock and beat him by… three tenths of a second! The final podium was known, and for Dewilde and Decock – who had used their ‘Rally+’ bonus this weekend – the points harvest was even greater.
Although they did not record any fastest times, Manuel Merlevede and Thomas Cloet proved efficient enough to take fourth place. They finished ahead of the winners of the Sezoensrally, Lander Depotter and Jasper Maelfait. They were 4.6 seconds faster than Luxembourg drivers Steve Fernandes and Florian Volvert!
Following in their wake – only 2.2 seconds slower – were the Germans Lukas Thiele and Ann Felke, who turned out to be 7.7 seconds faster than Tom Heindrichs and Jonas Schmitz. The latter had to deal with two punctures, and that cost them some time! The result of the exciting sprint in the Westhoek was completed by Lander Dhaene and Dennis Vanspeybrouck, Stijn Sonneville and Niels Pierpont – who never really had confidence in their set-up – and Steven Spittaels and Marc Sevrin. There can be no doubt: for two days, the Opel Corsa Rally4 and Peugeot 208 Rally4 provided their share of the spectacle!
“We can only be happy with the intensity of this rally,” says Davie Meert, coordinator of the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux. “Never before has our championship been of such a high level, never has the fight been so exciting. There were only two regrettable retirements, those of the Irish Niall O’Sullivan and Anthony McDonald, and of the Slovenians Mark Skulj and Rebeka Kobal, who unfortunately went off, fortunately without causing any harm to the crew. For the rest, our cars once again demonstrated high reliability.”
After this Ardeca Ypres Rally, Pierre-Manuel Brasseur regains the lead in the standings, with 77 points. Behind him are Jonas Dewilde (61), Tom Heindrichs (60), Maxim Decock (53), Lander Depotter (41), Manuel Merlevede (24), Mark Skulj (23), Lukas Thiele (23), Steven Spittaels (18). ), Niall O’Sullivan (9), Steve Fernandes (9), Lander Dhaene (7) and Stijn Sonneville (6).
Next round: the East Belgian Rally, on Saturday, September 28th in Sankt-Vith. Home of a certain Tom Heindrichs…
