Stellantis Rally Cup Nard Ippen surprises, Lander Depotter wins
With nine duos participating in the 42nd Rallye de Wallonie, evenly split between the Opel Corsa Rally4 and Peugeot 208 Rally4, six drivers recording at least one fastest time, and a competition marked by narrow margins, it was clear that the 2025 Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux started with plenty of excitement! Although Lander Depotter and Jasper Maelfait ultimately claimed victory, the race was anything but predictable.
On the opening day, it took until the ninth of eleven stages for the favourite of the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux to register his first fastest time. Before that, Depotter had to concede the spotlight to Corentin Dozot and Coline Fallay, who were the fastest in SS1 and SS3. The standout performance came from young Dutch pairing Nard Ippen and Jorie Christiaens, who secured six fastest times, finishing the first day with an impressive lead of 40 seconds over Depotter and Maelfait.
Unfortunately, Nard Ippen faced a setback in the second stage on Sunday, which led to his withdrawal from the competition. He admitted that the rush to arrive on time for the Rallye de Wallonie had drained his energy. We hope to see him back in Ypres, as his speed was evident.
Lander Depotter seized the lead and concluded the rally with seven fastest times, including the closing Power Stage. These bonus points gave him a solid advantage in the intermediate standings of the Cup.
“We clearly faced a very challenging first day”, Lander Depotter explained. “Fortunately, we managed to resolve a few issues, and by Sunday, we were able to start with more confidence and aggression. In SS13, we took the lead and never looked back. All in all, we’re very happy with this weekend and are looking forward to the next one in Ypres!”
German driver Lukas Thiele, alongside Belgian Loris Elst, clocked the fastest time in SS10. His consistent performance allowed him to secure an impressive second place overall, ahead of Corentin Fiasse and Adrien Hauteclair. They proved to be the quickest in the penultimate stage, despite encountering minor technical difficulties.
Manuel Merlevede and Thomas Cloet also earned honours, with Merlevede showing promise and claiming two fastest times, but recognizing the need to improve his braking zones. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.
Valery Revillod and Aurélien Delforge made significant progress, boosting their confidence. Young driver Sergio Plattes, paired with Andreas Palm, utilized the Super Rally to restart on Sunday after having slid off the road on Saturday. His team had fully repaired their Peugeot 208 Rally4 on Saturday evening, allowing them to gain valuable experience.
Unfortunately, Steven Spittaels and Hans Verhaege were unable to continue the rally after Saturday afternoon due to a broken differential.
Now that the first rally of 2025 has concluded, the teams in the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux are gearing up for the Ypres Rally, set to take place at the end of June. This traditional highlight of the Belgian rally season will see 11 duos of the popular promotional cup at the start, as Irish driver Niall O’Sullivan and Belgian Loris Nuyts are also expected to participate in the Westhoek. It certainly promises to be an exciting event!
