TAC Rally 2026: Potty’s Skoda Gamble Pays Off in Tielt Thriller
The 51st TAC Rally, round two of the Kroon-Oil Belgian Rally Championship (BRC), delivered a masterclass in calculated risk and unflinching pace. Maxime Potty and Renaud Herman dominated from the first stage to the last, sweeping six of 12 fastest times to claim victory by a razor-thin 7.4 seconds over Jos Verstappen. For the 26-year-old Potty — who arrived off a distant fourth in Haspengouw — the switch to a Skoda Fabia RS proved a stroke of genius.
“Things went well right from the start today, even though I hadn’t tested the Skoda beforehand. We still had the Fabia RS standing around, and because we couldn’t match Jos and Cédric’s times in Haspengouw, we decided to give the Skoda a try.During the shakedown, I really had to search for confidence on the slippery asphalt and a good setup for the Skoda at the beginning. In the first round of the rally, I found the rear end still too nervous, even though we set six fastest times on the first eight stages. The feeling kept getting better, and without taking excessive risks, I was able to defend the lead until the finish,” Potty said
Potty’s composure defined the day. Starting as outsiders, he and Herman opened with road-sweeping authority, methodically building a cushion while the favourites faltered. Verstappen, the 2023 BRC champion, shadowed relentlessly, snatching second in the final loop at Cherain’s expense. For the Dutch star on his Tielt debut, it was a gritty P2.
I am satisfied with this result, because the 7″ we conceded at Potty is a matter of knowledge of the terrain. I lost some time in the first loop because I couldn’t yet judge the slipperiness of the asphalt. That is normal. I pushed hard in the final lap to catch Cédric Cherain and I succeeded. I am convinced that choosing the Skoda was the right choice, as was already evident during our comparative test leading up to this rally,” Verstappen said.
Cherain, couldn’t quite get the win saying, “we just lacked a bit of speed. I had problems with the front differential the entire race. Because of that, I had too much understeer in the corners and couldn’t attack to the maximum.”
Junior champion Lander Depotter stole fourth in PTR Racing’s Fabia RS — a bigger scalp than last year’s P3, given the stacked field. “I think we showed our potential once again,” said Lander. “We lost a bit of time due to two punctures and because I was still relying too much on the Opel Corsa Rally4’s reflexes at the start of the race. The feeling got better and better as the race progressed. Of course, you always want more, but I would have signed up for this beforehand.”
Vincent Verschueren nicked sixth on the powerstage, capitalising on Steven Dolfen’s gravel slide at Ondank. Dolfen shrugged it off: “Stings to lose a place, but I’m proud of our level. Tielt’s asphalt caught me out — glossier than I remembered!”
Nicola Stampaert took eighth, with GT winner Pieter-Jan Michiel Cracco (Porsche 992) ninth. Emile Breittmayer rounded out the top 10, visibly frustrated in a punchless C3 Rally2.
Class Notes
Junior BRC: Emilien Allart’s back-to-back win after Nolann Lejeune’s gearbox failure.
M-Cup: Philip Lommers edged Tobi Vandenberghe by 0.4 seconds in a finale for the ages.
Historic: Mathias Ver Eecke’s shock victory.
The BRC caravan heads to the Rallye de Wallonie (24-26 April) in Namur, where home knowledge — and Potty’s momentum — could ignite the title fight early.
