It has been a busy time for the Belgian Rally Championship coming into the final round at Spa…here are three of the biggest news stories of the past week…

• Thierry Neuville, winner of the 2022 WRC Rally Japan has decided to get behind the wheel one more time this year. In the colors of his company LifeLive, he will be at the start of the Spa Rally 2022, and he will also do so with a spectacular BMW M3 E30 Gr.A! The idea behind this pleasant surprise for all rally fans is that LifeLive wants to highlight its new department, dedicated to renting rally cars! The Sankt Vith company recently bought two BMWs M3 E30 Gr.A from the workshops of the Dutch wizard Mats van den Brand, with the intention of providing a high-quality rally service in 2023, entirely according to the wishes of the customer.

• The 6 Hours of Kortrijk, was the last rally of the GoDrive team. Gaby Goudezeune decided to put an end to the activities of the team with a base in the Ypres region and to enjoy his well-deserved retirement. The Belgian VW Club and Vincent Verschueren pay tribute to this rallying icon!
  “My co-driver Filip Cuvelier and I absolutely wanted to end our season in style, as this will be the very last rally of the GoDrive team,” said driver Vincent Verschueren. “I will never be able to thank Gaby Goudezeune enough for what he has meant to me. I honestly consider him a bit like a second father and I cherish our partnership, which goes back more than a decade.
  For Gaby Goudezeune, the 6 Hours of Kortrijk are a way to complete the circle. “My very first rally, in 1970, was in Kortrijk,” explains the West Fleming. “I was allowed to blow out 70 candles at the beginning of this year and I think now is the right time to stop. I must admit that it is difficult for me to leave the team, which has grown into a close-knit family. If everyone is present, there will be six of us, plus the drivers and possibly an engineer. They are all bitten by the sport and we had great times together.”

• Adrian Fernémont announced via social media that he will not be starting the Spa Rally. Moreover, after 4 very successful years, with two Belgian titles, the collaboration with the SAN Mazuin Group comes to an end.

  “We are certainly looking forward to it, but after a victory and two second places in 2018, a title in 2019 and 2021, I unfortunately have to announce that we will not be starting the Spa Rally on December 3 and 4! After 4 years the cooperation and support of the SAN Mazuin Group will also come to an end. 

  Thanks to our constant battle at the wheel of the Skoda Fabia Rally2, we won two Belgian titles in the Belgian Rally Championship in four years. That would not have been possible without a very strong and driven team around us and the almost perfect preparation of our car by Racing Technology. Nor would it have been possible without the support of all our partners, who have played a crucial role in those four seasons. Since the Spa Rally 2018 and our first victory, we have shared many highlights together, such as the victory in the Rally of Wallonia and the intense battle with Sébastien, Grégoire, Ghislain, Stéphane, Cédric and so many others. There were also lows, among other things, the pandemic that may have kept us from a third title and of which we still bore the consequences this season with a limited program. In any case, together with Samuel, I wish Thibaud every success at the wheel of the Skoda Fabia Rally2 that we made shine. In any case, we will move heaven and earth to be part of the Belgian championship again in 2023.

  A big thank you again to Group SAN Mazuin, to Christophe, Nathalie and Thibaud. Thank you also to our supporters. Appointment in 2023!” demment rendezvous in 2023!