Last weekend’s Spa Rally was intense, setting the stage for an exciting finale in the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux! Maxim Decock clinched his first victory of the season, but Tom Heindrichs secured the championship title after a well-controlled race.
The rally experienced a mix of weather conditions, starting with frost and sleet in the morning before transitioning to beautiful winter sunlight and a clear blue sky in the afternoon. However, competitors also faced plenty of mud. With Tom Heindrichs, Pierre-Manuel Brasseur, Jonas Dewilde and Maxim Decock as the remaining title candidates, a high-level battle for the championship was expected… and that is exactly what happened!
On Saturday morning, during the first special stage, Maxim Decock and Tom Buyse propelled their Opel Corsa Rally4 into the lead of the intermediate standings. A first place that the Flemish duo would not relinquish, except for two stages. Their constant progress over the past two seasons was rewarded on Sunday afternoon. Decock didn’t let anything slip for two days and conquered a magnificent victory, finishing nearly a minute ahead of the competition.
“I don’t really know what to say”, said a somewhat disconcerted Maxim on the finishing podium on the Place Royale. “We drove a solid race, made no mistakes, avoided punctures, and kept our lead under control. I’m unsure what my 2025 season will look like, but this is the best way to end 2024, despite the setbacks in the first half of the season preventing me from finishing better than third in the overall standings.”
Behind Decock, his opponents were not always spared, and they were plagued by punctures more than once. Before the last Saturday loop, the duos Tom Heindrichs – Jonas Schmitz and Pierre-Manuel Brasseur – Hugo Cravillon completed the top 3. A puncture for Brasseur in SS9 allowed Heindrichs to secure second place, however. The young driver from Sankt Vith remained focused, managing his enthusiasm to ensure he earned enough points to claim the title in the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux 2024.
“It quickly became clear that I would need to take risks to challenge Maxim’s lead,” Heindrichs explained. “So, we kept some reserves and closely monitored our opponents’ times. The title was absolutely our main goal this season, and we did everything we could to achieve it. Mission accomplished!”
Pierre-Manuel Brasseur, who competed with co-driver Hugo Cravillon and was Heindrichs’ strongest rival this season, narrowly missed the podium, finishing second in the final championship standings. “This rally wasn’t easy for me, especially since I was ill the entire week leading up to it,” Brasseur shared. “It’s unfortunate about the flat tire, but that’s part of rallying! I’m very proud to have fought for the title until the last rally of the season. I’ve had many great moments this year. On to next season!”
After a slow start at the Spa Rally, Lander Depotter and Jasper Maelfait gradually increased their pace. Punctures for other competitors helped them secure third place on the podium. Depotter is also one of the promising new talents who made a significant impact this season.
Jonas Dewilde, with Jens De Splenter as his co-driver, had a mixed experience at the Spa Rally. After leading the intermediate standings after the first two stages, Dewilde lost several positions. His focus shifted to winning as many stages as possible to earn three points for being the best performer of the weekend and to make an impression in the Power Stage. Due to Maxim Decock’s victory, Dewilde ultimately finished just short of third place in the overall standings, but the new Junior BRC champion certainly made a mark in this competitive championship.
Lukas Thiele – Nico Otterbach and Steven Spittaels – Gilles Hendrickx eventually finished in fifth and seventh place in the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup Belux results of the Spa Rally, showcasing their enthusiasm throughout the weekend.
Spa proved to be a fitting conclusion for the cup which features the Rally4 versions of the Opel Corsa and Peugeot 208. Numerous new talents were discovered this season, making a name for themselves, and we can expect to hear more from them in the near future. Incidentally, the fact that this season was very intense was highlighted by the final standings: the top 4 are separated by only 22 points…
