The Kroon-Oil Belgian Rally Championship 2021 is approaching its denouement and the title battle remains extremely exciting. The difference between leader Adrian Fernémont and third in the standings, Ghislain de Mevius, is just 5 points, the equivalent of the fastest time on the Pirelli Powerstage in the Condroz Rally. Just to say that it promises to be very exciting in the Condroz Rally, the penultimate round of the Belgian rally championship, which will be concluded at the beginning of December in the Spa Rally. For many years, the Condroz Rally was the apotheosis of the Belgian rally championship. This time the classic in Huy is the penultimate match of a very exciting Kroon-Oil BRC, but all the ingredients for a grandiose match are preserved.
The autumn weather traditionally makes for very slippery, muddy special stages, where only the most talented riders go clear. The race has a total of 18 special stages, good for 189.14 km against the clock. On Saturday, November 6, 12 stages will be run, followed by 6 more stages on Sunday, November 7, including the Pirelli Powerstage, where extra bonus points can be earned.
All the top drivers at the start
The poster already looks impressive. Citroën will bring Stéphane Lefebvre to the start, navigated by Renaud Jamoul, who will be able to use his local knowledge to save the Frenchman from the traps. The Nordist, winner of the previous two editions of the Condroz Rally, naturally wants to prove that the C3 Rally2 remains a formidable weapon on Belgian special stages. However, he will remain transparent for the Kroon-Oil BRC, unless he still registers for the championship.
The entire Top 10 of the Kroon-Oil Belgian Rally Championship will start, so it promises to be a very exciting battle. Adrian Fernémont, Grégoire Munster and Ghislain de Mevius all count 5 results, so they can use one more top score. Vincent Verschueren can add two more scores. Adrian Fernémont has a slight advantage as he can open the road on Saturday with his Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, but Grégoire Munster has tanked a lot of confidence after his second win in Bocholt. Ghislain de Mevius is stimulated again and he already proved in the Condroz Rally that he has the speed to win. For Vincent Verschueren, the Condroz Rally is his favorite race, so you can count on the VW driver to attack as much as possible.
Pieter-Jan Michiel Cracco was second in the championship when he decided to forfeit for the East Belgian Rally, the Wallonia Rally and the Sezoensrally. Too bad, because he missed a possible chance at the title, but PJM certainly wants to show his progress again. Someone who certainly wants to do that is Kris Princen, who is making the switch from the Citroën to a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. Let’s not forget that Kris Princen competed for the Belgian title in the Condroz Rally in 2019 and that he captured his last Belgian title in 2018 with a Skoda Fabia.
When we think of potential winners, we must not lose sight of Cédric Cherain. The Liège driver won the Condroz Rally in 2016 and every year he is a contender for the fast stages around Huy. Especially now that he has gained rhythm with a victory in the JMC Rally in Jalhay with the Skoda Fabia R5. Another contender is Sébastien Bedoret, who fought until the very last meters in 2019 for the Belgian rally title. After an unlucky season, a stellar performance in the Condroz would be an incredible boost for the young Skoda driver.
Stellantis Cup, Clio Trophy and BMW violence in NCM
Among the outsiders we certainly count Cédric De Cecco, who again opts for a Citroën C3 Rally, Maxime Potty, who has a lot of experience in France with his Ford Fiesta, Bastien Rouard, very regularly in the Rally of Wallonia, and certainly Xavier Bouche, always a fixed value in the leading group in Huy. Emmanuel Gonay and Cédric Verhees also opt for a Citroën C3 Rally2. Etienne Monfort, Jean-Frédéric Colignon, Steve Fernandes, Sébastien Incardona and Cédric Busin opt for a Skoda Fabia Rally2, while Nicola Stampaert and John Wartique opted for a fast Ford Fiesta Rally2. In addition to Grégoire Munster, Hyundai can also count on Henri Schmelcher, who will drive BMA’s second i20. In short, a powerful poster in the top class, while the starting field also contains a lot of interesting names and cars.
In GT Stefaan Prinzie and Chris Vandamme will compete with their Alpines A110 against the Porsche 997 GT3 of Romain Delhez, nutstanding in the East Belgian Rally. In addition to the spectacle in the Stellantis Rally Cup, with a fight between Charles Munster, Gino Büx, Thibaud Mazuin, Jonas Dewilde and Fred Caprasse, we can also expect spectacle in the Clio Trophy Belgium, in which the title fight is between Benoit Verlinde and Gilles Pyck, with Tom Rensonnet as executioner. And what about the spectacle that we can expect in NCM with the BMW clappers Bjorn Syx, Didier Vanwijnsberghe, Tobi Vandenberghe taking on the Escort Millington of PJ Maeyaert. See you for a fantastic 47th edition of the Condroz Rally on November 6 and 7 in Huy!
The post Massive field to line up for the BRC Condroz Rally first appeared on RacerViews.com.
