It can count as news! This Thursday evening, Gino Bux and Nicolas Gilsoul unveiled their program of ten races in the context of the Kroon-Oil Belgian Rally Championship 2022, with a Skoda Fabia Rally2 from the workshops of SXM Competition…

The Kroon-Oil Belgian Rally Championship has the wind in the sails, no one doubts that anymore! With the start of the 2022 season in the offing, a new top team is making its appearance in the main division. Reigning Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux champion Gino Bux has launched a top Rally2 program with the support of strong partners. In addition, Gino will be navigated by Nicolas Gilsoul! “I’ve had plans for this type of car for a few years now, but the financial aspect has often been a drag,” says Gino Bux. “And to do everything in my power for a ‘one-shot’ in such a strong championship, I didn’t feel like it. You need a lot of rhythm and miles to play at this level. After the 2021 season and the title in the Stellantis Rally Cup, the situation quickly changed. My partners were very enthusiastic and together with my friend John Wartique we started knocking on the right doors. The result is impressive, with the ten matches of the BRC. I have to admit that I have never been so motivated…”

All the more so since a certain Nicolas Gilsoul jumped on the train… “First of all, the project to participate in the Belgian championship with Gino, whom I have known for years, is a program that comes at the ideal time for me,” said Nicolas Gilsoul, Thierry Neuville’s regular co-driver in the WRC for many years. “I needed a project with passion. I wanted to do everything I could to show that Gino can fight at the front and that he deserves to compete in the best conditions. to appear at the start of the Kroon-Oil Belgian Rally Championship. He can count on me to encourage, advise, help and control everything, as I have done with other drivers in the past. I am really looking forward to it This program really comes at the right time…”

The duo of Bux and Gilsoul therefore opts for a Skoda Fabia Rally2 of the SXM Competition team and together they will try to follow the regular names of the high-quality Belgian championship.

“The team also has to prove itself and put the finishing touches on it,” said Gino. “Jourdan Serderidis and Fred Miclotte are aware that this program is a great opportunity for them too. We believe in their capabilities and they have already showing that they can perform well in the WRC2 category in Ypres, or two years ago when they narrowly missed the Belgian championship title… We will drive the Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, which was manned by Sébastien last year Bedoret, a top car, equipped with all the new evolutions.”

As for the Bux-Gilsoul duo’s ambition, it will be adjusted in the course of the season. “Ten races means we get a lot of miles to learn, understand and adapt to the higher speeds,” Gino continues. “One should not expect that I will be able to win immediately, because the level in the Belgian championship is very high. Let me say that I would like to win a rally this season. In any case, we will include a few test days in order to prepare ourselves well and to gain experience with the Rally2.”

Some rallies are also new for Gino Bux. “I am going to discover the Haspengouw, in the South Belgian Rally I only have three kilometers driven last season and the TAC Rally is unknown territory for me. So we are going to have to build trust step by step. Adrian Fernémont, Grégoire Munster and Ghislain de Mévius have also needed time to perform at their current level. That will also be the case for us, but in certain matches we want to show what we can do. En Nicolas Gilsoul does have the necessary experience. He drove the Rally of Haspengouw with Alexandre Romain and he immediately remembered a few places when he saw the onboards of the stages…”

Now that they announce their participation in all competitions of the Kroon-Oil BRC 2022, Gino Bux and Nicolas Gilsoul would like to thank all partners who support them in this sporting challenge, in particular Fuel-X, Ardenne Rails, Fleetback, ALD, Reco +, Diederickx, Nervia Plastic, SPA Racing, Mazzoni and Gehlen Group. “A special thank you to Steven Spittaels for giving me the opportunity to get my foot in the door,” said the rider. “Without him I would probably still be tracking rally on my phone. Everything went really fast and I owe it all to people like him…”

And now on to the Rally of Haspengouw, the opener of the Belgian Championship in just under three weeks!

The post Gino Bux and Nicolas Gilsoul commit to full Belgian Rally season first appeared on RacerViews.com.