For 2 of the 3 title candidates, the race started on a minor note. Maxime Potty, the reigning champion, went off the track on the second stage in Koolskamp with the Toyota Yaris GR of Lifelive: “I stepped on the brake pedal too hard and that caused the wheels to lock. We slid into a pile of roof tiles and the radiator was broken.”
Niels Reynvoet, the 2023 winner, put his Skoda Fabia RS on the side in a field on the same stage. The spectators managed to get the car back on track, but it cost the championship leader more than 3 minutes. Reynvoet drove a great catch-up race from 55th to 5th place, but the 5th time on the final power stage was still a disappointment. “That mistake on SS 2 was due to the fact that I had to fit a dry weather tire at the front after a puncture on the opening stage. The car could not find any grip in the wet, slippery braking zone. The rest of the weekend we drove hard and clocked good times, although it was difficult to stay motivated when you are no longer fighting for the win. The goal, to advance to 5th place, was achieved, but on the last stage it became clear that I do not have enough experience with the Skoda to attack to the max on a partly wet track,” said Niels Reynvoet, who remains the championship leader with 110 points.

“I attacked, but was always in control”

The big winner was of course Cédric Cherain, who had not driven in Roeselare for 10 years. “After that 2nd test it was a duel between Jos Verstappen and me for the victory. After the opening day I was 1″3 ahead of him, but then he made a small mistake in Houthulst, which cost him 13″. From that moment on I kept attacking to stay focused, but with a small margin because I certainly did not want to make a mistake. I kept putting pressure on Jos and I kept attacking in a controlled manner, because in Ypres we found a set-up for the Hyundai that gives me a lot of confidence. Yes, with these 30 points everything remains possible in the championship. The next two rallies, the East Belgian Rally and the Spa Rally, are my favourite rallies. If I win those, then the title is in the bag. I keep believing in it!,” said winner Cédric Cherain.

Jos Verstappen could settle for second place. “Look, sometimes there are days when there is nothing more in it. I gave it my all the whole weekend. We had the speed, but I made a few small mistakes, like that slide this morning in Houthulst and a small mistake on the Zoning, where I got a puncture. The level is just very high and I had the feeling that we were at the maximum potential of the Skoda,” said Jos Verstappen. There
was still a lot of fighting for third place between Vincent Verschueren and Bjorn Syx, both with a Citroën C3 Rally2. With four fastest times, his first in the Belgian championship, Syx came within 5″ of Verschueren, but he held on and came third.

“I had to do something and I turned the dampers down a bit for the last test. I didn’t feel like I was driving faster than on the other stages, but this time I was faster than Bjorn,” said Verschueren, who was relieved after this fine third place.
Bjorn Syx was also satisfied. “Those fastest times give me a lot of satisfaction, because it proves that we have the speed to match and even beat the real top drivers. That confirmation is good. For the time being, we don’t have the best set-up yet in stages with a lot of angular situations, where the Citroën still understeers. We still have to work on that,” said Syx, who was navigated by Rik Snaet in Roeselare.
Fifth place went to Niels Reynvoet, ahead of Gunther Monnens, who again clocked impressive times with his Porsche 991 GT3, including a fastest time on the Zoning, despite a broken exhaust. Lander Depotter was the revelation of the race with the official Renault Clio Rally3. The 21-year-old former winner of the Clio Trophy kept quite a few Rally2 drivers behind him and clocked some great times. Thibault Mazuin, in a new Skoda Fabia RS, Enzo Ide, who made his debut in the Belgian championship, and regional driver Frank Mesure, who wanted to try driving a Rally2 at the age of 60, completed the top 10.
Enzo Ide, who was navigated by Pieter Tsjoen, himself an 8-time Belgian rally champion, was very enthusiastic about his introduction to rallying. “This is so much more than driving fast with a car. There is so much more to rallying. It really is a team sport and the navigator plays a huge part in a success. As a driver, you have to have 100% confidence in the notes and in your co-pilot. I still lack experience, because it was the first time that I had to listen to notes. Pieter Tsjoen helped and coached me very well. That was also the reason why I wanted to ride with him, because his experience is invaluable. But, what a beautiful sport! I am impressed by the speed on the small tracks, the difficulty, the teamwork and the fact that so much is involved,” says Enzo Ide.

In the Junior BRC Maxime Decock booked his first victory, just ahead of Jonas Dewilde. In the Clio Trophy Nard Ippen dominated the race. Leny Cols came second after a late exit by Benoit Verlinde. In Historic Paul Lietaer was once again supreme. There was less luck for a number of leading names who had to retire early, such as Andy Lefevere, off the track on SS 2, Nicola Stampaert (off the track twice, but restarted each time), Roger Hodenius (off the track SS 7), Emile Breittmayer (differential SS 16) and Jimmy D’hondt (off the track SS 19).