Stellantis Rally Cup Ardenne Rally Festival – Lander Depotter confirms, Nolann Lejeune delivers
The Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup provided a large share of the action on Saturday, May 30, in Alle-sur-Semois, where the inaugural Ardenne Rally Festival was held as part of the BRC Division 2 championship. This second round of the season delivered plenty of valuable insights.
Already victorious at the season-opening Rally van Haspengouw, Lander Depotter and Jasper Maelfait (Opel Corsa) left no room for doubt among the Rally4 contenders. The young Dutch-speaking driver took the lead from the very first special stage and never relinquished it. Furthermore, the late retirement of one of the entered Rally2 cars enabled him to finish the 2026 Ardenne Rally Festival on the overall podium in third place, across all categories, while also claiming victory in the Division 2 classification.
“On this fast and technical route featuring wide roads, I was able to put into practice everything I recently learned from Vittorio Caneva in Italy,” commented Lander Depotter. “Today, we chose to attack right from the start and, on roads like these, following the ideal racing line is essential. It paid off and we are obviously delighted with the result.”
Behind the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup leader, Corentin Fiasse and Adrien Hauteclair (Peugeot 208) secured the points for second place while continuing to improve their pace.
“I’m very satisfied,” smiled Corentin. “Lander is incredibly fast, but we managed to significantly reduce the gap compared to Haspengouw. I think we’re ready for our next event in Luxembourg.”
While Corentin Dozot (Peugeot 208) was forced into an early retirement, Clément Willaert (Opel Corsa) spent some time in second place before dropping back to fifth. Manuel Merlevede and Thomas Cloet (Peugeot 208) took full advantage and completed the final Rally4 podium.
“In the fifth stage, I went straight on in a braking zone,” explained the driver. “I lost around twenty seconds there and was no longer able to challenge Fiasse afterwards. Still, I had tremendous fun on these stages, which were as demanding as they were spectacular.”
Another highlight of the Ardenne Rally Festival was the progress shown by young Sergio Plattes, co-driven by Andreas Palm. Despite his limited experience, the driver from eastern Belgium impressed.
“When I look at the drivers who finished ahead of us, I’m very pleased,” said Plattes. “This was only my seventh rally and the fastest route I’ve ever competed on. The roads were very wide and required great precision in the racing lines. It was a completely new experience for me.”
Steven Spittaels and Loris Elst (Peugeot 208) completed the classification, which did not include Lény Cols and Hugo Cravillon (Lancia Ypsilon). They were forced to withdraw after the driver fell ill, while temperatures remained extremely high around Alle-sur-Semois.
It should also be noted that SS1, the second pass through Rochehaut, served as the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Golden Stage this weekend. Lander Depotter set the fastest time there.
After the opening two rounds of the season, Depotter naturally leads the standings with 62 points, ahead of Fiasse on 42 and Merlevede on 40. Spittaels (26), Willaert (25) and Plattes (13) currently complete the top positions.
At last, Nolann Lejeune!
In Rally6, a fierce battle unfolded between RACB National Team youngsters Emilien Allart and Nolann Lejeune. Coached by Marc Duez and Bruno Thiry, the pair produced a magnificent duel at the wheel of their Opel Corsas. This time, fortune favoured Lejeune, who secured victory by 22.4 seconds.
“After two rallies where the result did not match my expectations, I’m delighted to have won on this route. It was a fantastic fight with Emilien,” said the day’s winner, co-driven by Olivier Dethier.
That said, by collecting the points for a strong second-place finish, Allart once again strengthened his position in the Cup standings. He also proved to be the fastest driver in the Golden Stage.
“I made a small mistake in the fourth special stage,” admitted Emilien, alongside Antoine Podgorny. “From that point on, I lost confidence. My driving was no longer as smooth. Congratulations to Nolann. On my side, I’ll work hard to come back stronger at Ypres.”
Behind the two yellow Corsas, Laurent Wilkin and Sébastien Honnay (Peugeot 208) fully lived up to expectations, with the driver making the most of his experience on this type of route. The duo finished ahead of Jean Beaupain and Jonathan Lemaire (Lancia Ypsilon), newcomers Brent Boudrez and Seppe Bonte (Lancia Ypsilon), and Benoit Wauthier (Peugeot 208), who was once again troubled by bad luck but benefited from Gérôme Bollette’s pace notes in Alle-sur-Semois.
Following this second round, Emilien Allart remains in the lead with 60 points, ahead of Nolann Lejeune on 50. However, their duel is only just beginning. Jean Beaupain (33) completes the provisional top three ahead of Bosseloir (23), Wilkin (21), Boudrez (12) and Wauthier (10).
The Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup 2026 will resume in less than a month’s time at the prestigious Ardeca Ypres Rally.
