Two weeks after the Ypres Rally, the Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux crossed the border for the first time this season, heading specifically for the Netherlands, with Achtmaal serving as the base for the GTC Rally. There, Loïc Pirot and John Wartique claimed victory in successive races…
For the three teams that lined up at the start in a 911 GT3 Cup with Rally GT-Kit, Friday and Saturday were a real journey of discovery. The GTC Rally offered a particularly challenging route, featuring a mix of tarmac roads, gravel sections and the typical Dutch cobbled streets. The race centre, too, had all the hallmarks of a music festival, with a stage, large screens, food trucks and outdoor seating areas. Everything was in place to make for an atmospheric weekend…
On Friday, during the six special stages of the ‘Nacht van Achtmaal’, Romain Delhez – navigated, exceptionally, by Jérôme Marchand – immediately set the first benchmark time within the Porsche field. Unfortunately, the Liège native had to retire after that very first special stage.
Loïc Pirot felt right at home from the start, confirming the progress he had already made during the Ypres Rally. Together with Jean-Baptiste Bodet, he even set the fastest overall time in SS5, a stage that ran through the Vosdonk industrial estate. John Wartique, on the other hand, felt less comfortable and had a few set-up adjustments made during the service. That proved to be the right choice, as he subsequently regained his rhythm and began an impressive comeback. Thanks to the fastest time in the day’s Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux Power Stage, he ultimately finished just 7.2 seconds behind Loïc Pirot, who thus secured his first victory of the season.
On Saturday, the scores were reset to zero, with four special stages to be completed twice. Romain Delhez, once again competing under the Super Rally regulations, was still searching for confidence and the right set-up at the start of the day, allowing John Wartique to take the lead. Delhez gradually upped the pace and, in turn, set the fastest overall time in SS9… before spinning out in SS11, just as he had closed the gap to 0.7 seconds behind Wartique.
Romain did not give up, however, and went on the attack once more, but ultimately finished 2.6 seconds behind the day’s winner. There’s no doubt about it: the battle in Achtmaal was particularly fierce!
“I’m returning from the GTC Rally with mixed feelings,” says Romain Delhez. “In terms of performance, I’m convinced that, had everything been working normally, we had the pace to compete at the front, even for a top spot in the overall standings. Unfortunately, the Dutch noise regulations are stricter than the Belgian ones and we had to fit an extra silencer, which made our Porsche sound a lot quieter. I still don’t know exactly what happened, but we had to retire; the reason is still unclear. Fortunately, in the Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux, the points are reset to zero on Saturday, so we were able to start afresh. In the end, we missed out on victory by less than three seconds, after a lap that cost us dearly. Those setbacks do, however, mean the championship is wide open again. We’ll probably have to line up on the starting grid in Germany if we want to retain our lead…”
After finishing second on Friday evening, John Wartique and Maxime Andernack claimed victory once again the following day. Clear proof that they have adapted exceptionally quickly to the competition with the 911 Cup GT3 Rally GT.
“I never want to start another rally without having completed at least a few test kilometres beforehand,” says John Wartique. “We paid dearly for that here, because the start of our rally simply wasn’t good. Fortunately, after the first service, we found the right set-up and everything quickly fell into place. From that moment on, we were able to drive at our true level. On Friday, unfortunately, we were just too late to pose a threat to Loïc. On Saturday, however, we managed to fend off Romain’s strong comeback and secure our second victory of the season. We’ll certainly be competing in the Saarland-Pfalz Rally with the aim of turning the championship situation around. Moreover, we mustn’t forget that we missed the Rally of Wallonia and have therefore already used up all our wild cards.”
Loïc Pirot and Jean-Baptiste Bodet, Friday’s winners, were unable to challenge for victory the following day. “Following Romain’s early retirement on Friday, we unexpectedly found ourselves leading the Trophy,” the driver explains. “We even managed to set an overall scratch time, which is hugely satisfying. I feel I’ve taken a significant step forward during the Ypres Rally, and this victory is, of course, a great pleasure. On the other hand, I’m less satisfied with our performance on Saturday. Strangely enough, we were never able to keep up with our rivals’ pace. I just didn’t feel quite right in the car; the problem was clearly between the seat and the steering wheel! Unfortunately, due to a lack of budget, we will not normally be on the starting grid for the Saarland-Pfalz Rally. That’s a shame, because we’ve now closed the gap on Romain in the championship and, unlike some of our rivals, we’ve only used one joker so far.”
In the Teams’ category, the victories at Pirot and Wartique mean that EMO Sport 2 has further extended its lead in the standings.
“The main takeaway from this GTC Rally is that the championship has become even more closely contested,” says Series Manager Yves Matton. “The three leading teams are now separated by just a few points, which promises a particularly exciting second half of the season. Everyone is now working on securing the necessary resources to compete in Germany as well, where the title race could well take a decisive turn.”
The Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux now goes into the summer break and will resume on 14 and 15 August at the Saarland-Pfalz Rally in Germany.
“Initially, Romain Delhez was not due to take part in this fourth round of the championship,” confirms Julien Frère, coordinator of the Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux. “However, with the overall standings becoming increasingly close, it seems he will ultimately travel to Germany after all to keep his title hopes alive. His main rival, John Wartique, has already confirmed his participation. Loïc Pirot, who would not normally be taking part, is also doing everything he can to raise the necessary funds, so that he does not have to watch his two main rivals take a potentially decisive lead in the battle for the title.”
