Stellantis Rally Cup Depotter and Lejeune confirm, but everything will be decided in Spa!

The East Belgian Rally, the comeback event of the 2026 Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup, put the Rally4 and Rally6 championship leaders firmly in the spotlight. Lander Depotter and Nolann Lejeune added another victory to their season tally, but with double points on offer at the Spa Rally finale, the titles will be decided in the Spa town…

From the very first stage in the Saint-Vith region, the tone was set! Posting the fastest time by 13’’4 over Lény Cols (Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally4) and 18’’0 over local driver Sergio Plattes (Peugeot 208 Rally4), Lander Depotter (Opel Corsa Rally4) left no doubt about his ambitions. The young Dutch-speaking driver would go on to set the fastest time on every stage, including the Power Stage. And since he had wisely chosen to play his joker at the East Belgian Rally, Depotter collected no fewer than 43 points over a single weekend! Admittedly, 50 points will still be up for grabs in Spa, but the title favourite is now clearly identified.

Behind Lander Depotter and Jasper Maelfait, Lény Cols, accompanied by the experienced Andy Mawet, who managed to restore his confidence, delivered several impressive performances in Saint-Vith.The Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally4 recorded the second-fastest time no fewer than nine times, earning a thoroughly logical silver medal. In Saint-Vith, Cols finally opened his championship account and, having also wisely played his joker, added 30 points to his tally.

Competing on home territory, Sergio Plattes and Andreas Palm (Peugeot 208 Rally4) confirmed the progress they have made this season. The crew from the east of the country posted the second-fastest time on three occasions and eventually finished 12’’2 behind Lény Cols. As a result, the young driver now sits provisionally in the championship’s top three.

For the others, the East Belgian Rally proved more difficult. Competing in their final event of the season, Manuel Merlevede and Thomas Cloet (Peugeot 208 Rally4) finished 45 seconds off the podium, ahead of Corentin Fiasse – with Adrien Hauteclair – (Peugeot 208 Rally4), who was not quite at his best in terms of form or pace. Steven Spittaels and Hans Verhaeghe (Peugeot 208 Rally4) completed the classification.

Following this penultimate round of the season, Lander Depotter has 105 points, compared with 83 for Corentin Fiasse and 61 for Sergio Plattes. The Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup will also welcome back German driver Lukas Thiele at the Spa Rally, with the clear intention of playing the role of spoiler in the title fight.

Lejeune wins, Allart crowned Junior BRC champion

Three crews contested the Rally6 category in Saint-Vith. The event featured the continuation of the battle between the two RACB National Team representatives, Nolann Lejeune (with Olivier Dethier / Opel Corsa Rally6) and Emilien Allart (with Johan Jalet / Opel Corsa Rally6), while Benoit Wauthier (with Loris Elst / Peugeot 206 Rally6) was ready to give it everything.

With seven fastest stage times to his name, Lejeune left little room for suspense. At the end of the opening loop, he already held a lead of almost 30 seconds over the Wauthier/Allart duo, and that trend continued, despite losing a handful of seconds on the final stage. Adding 41 points to his tally from the first part of the season, Lejeune is clearly in contention for the title.

Emilien Allart, meanwhile, set the fastest time on four occasions. For the young driver from Marche-en-Famenne, however, the most important achievement was securing the Belgian Junior Championship title at the East Belgian Rally, the reward for an excellent season. Allart can still add the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup crown to his list of achievements this year, but his fate is no longer entirely in his own hands.

As for Benoit Wauthier, he claimed the remaining fastest stage time, once again demonstrating his outright pace. 

As for Benoit Wauthier, he claimed the remaining stage win, proof of his outright speed. After the twelve stages around Saint-Vith, he conceded just 8.9 seconds to Allart, having led him for a long time. He will therefore be one to watch in Spa, where his goal will be to finish the season in the top three of the final Rally6 standings. He will therefore be one to watch in Spa, where his goal will be to finish the season in the final Rally6 top three.

The focus now turns to the Belgian Rally Championship finale, scheduled for Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November. Only one points allocation will be made following the two stages of the famous and popular event, but with a double-points system! This means that surprises are still possible…