Rallye des Ardennes steps into its 72nd edition on 13–14 March with the feel of a proper spring crossroads for the Kroon-Oil Belgian Rally Championship – and the ideal stage for Division 2 to finally fire into life. Based in Dinant and organised by Ecurie Bayard, the event packs around 140 competitive kilometres into a compact, spectator-friendly format that also houses the national regularity championship and the new Bayard Festival demonstration.
At the sharp end, all eyes are on Jos Verstappen. The reigning Belgian champion returns to the Ardennes as a double winner here in 2024 and 2025, this time at the wheel of a Citroën C3 Rally2 and eager to respond after only third place at the Haspengouw opener. Crucially, while this is a D2 round, his result will also count towards his Division 1 campaign, making an early victory doubly valuable. He will need to be on the pace from the first timed metres: Custinne’s 5.85 km opener is a wake-up call before crews plunge into Chevetogne, the rally’s longest test at 18.29 km, where a circuit section flows into faster, more selective roads that invite risks and can quickly define the leaderboard.
After service at Ciney Expo, the loop heads to Fonds de Leffe (10.1 km), a traditional sting in the tail before the cars return to the riverside podium and service tent in Dinant. Those three stages will be driven four times on Saturday, with Foy-Notre-Dame hosting shakedown on Friday afternoon from 16:00 to 20:00, and scrutineering taking place from 8:30 at Institut Cousot near the town centre.
Verstappen will not have it all his own way. Local hero Bastien Rouard, twice runner-up on his home rally, stays loyal to the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 and has made no secret of his ambition to finally turn pressure into a home win. He is joined under the same banner by promising youngster Thomas Martens, while Emile Breittmayer adds another Citroën C3 Rally2 to the mix. Jourdan Serderidis – perhaps the most Belgian of all Greek rally drivers – returns to his beloved Ardennes with a Skoda Fabia RS, a car in which he has always entertained here. The Czech marque is well represented, with Dutchman Richard Pex and Steven Dolfen also fielding Fabia Rally2s, and Jérôme Clément bringing the RC2 tally to eight in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. Fans will also have the Porsche 997 GT3 of Laurent Léonard to enjoy – a guaranteed crowd-pleaser wherever it goes.
The depth doesn’t end there. Regional favourite Jonathan Wiart will debut a new Subaru Impreza, while among the quick two-wheel-drive cars, German ace Benjamin Schmitt – top five overall last year in a Citroën C2 GT – faces a fresh Rally4 challenge from Corentin Fiasse (Peugeot 208) and Yohan Burlet (Opel Corsa). Keep an eye, too, on Dylan Henrard’s Opel Astra and Valentin Dozot’s Peugeot 208 R2, both capable of unsettling the class order. Because RC2 and RGT machinery do not score points in D2, the door opens for the rapid Renault Clio R3s of Thibaud Mazuin and 2024 D2 champion Jérôme Septon to fight for overall championship honours even if they sit behind the Rally2 cars.
Historic fans are equally well served along the Meuse, with a fine spread of Porsche 911s (Lausberg, Mylleville, Kerkhove) taking on a strong Escort armada led by Watremez, Scheen, Simon and 2025 champion Thomas Carlier. Local specialists such as Robert Closset and Michael Tirtiaux (BMW M3 E46 and 325i E30), Romain Tonneau (Renault 5 GT Turbo), Nicolas Colyns (Citroën Saxo) and Nicolas Kielbasa (Mini Cooper S) are all eager to impress on home asphalt.
The VHRS regularity championship also opens its season in Dinant with around 20 entries. In VHRS 65, the absence of reigning champions Deflandre–Gengoux hands an early opportunity to Georges–Lahaye (VW Golf), father-and-son Graeven (Porsche 924) and the always quick Julie Kenis, who lines up with Bjorn Clauw in a BMW 325i. Local duo Ansiaux–Javaux will want to shine with their Volvo Amazon, while in VHRS 50 the Renault 4L of the Pellegroms family provides a wonderfully original foil to outgoing champions Simon–Bernard in a Porsche 924S, plus crews such as Crucifix–Bohosiewicz and their striking Ford Anglia Broadspeed.
Finally, the new Bayard Festival brings a pure show element: a non-timed demonstration with around 15 cars running all 12 stages “for spectacle, originality or simply for fun”. Expect showman Vincent Compère and a line-up of eclectic machinery, from the SsangYong Actyon of Denis Frères – better known from rallycross – to the thunderous Audi 200 Quattro of Etienne Robens, alongside an array of local drivers including Kevin Petitfrère, Yves Jamar, Pierre Watelet, Geoffrey Bedeur, Nicolas Baily and Cyril Baudouin.
In short, Rallye des Ardennes 2026 offers something for every corner of the Belgian rally fanbase: top-line Rally2 fights with Verstappen as early favourite, a dense supporting cast in D2, deep Historic and VHRS fields, and a festival field built purely for pleasure. The first cars leave Dinant on Saturday 14 March at 8:00 for Custinne at 8:19, Chevetogne at 8:40 and Fonds de Leffe at 10:15, with subsequent loops starting at 11:20, 14:40 and 18:00 before a scheduled finish at 20:40 on the banks of the Meuse.
