The 52nd Bernard Degroote Monteberg Rally will have a “full house” with no fewer than 156 teams on the start list. Fans can expect an unprecedented quality of cars at the start line and a very high level of driving talent. The bar is set very high as Niels Reynvoet, who has taken a commanding lead in the Belgian Rally Championship, is at the start.
What is striking, however, is the game of musical chairs at the front. To make it even more interesting, some stars will start with a different car for the first time. Headlining this story is Niels Reynvoet and Kris D’Alleine. They won the Rallye de Wallonie last weekend, extending their lead in the Belgian championship. However, in Poperinge their Citroën C3 Rally2 will stay in the garage as Reynvoet has opted to drive his new Skoda Fabia RS in the Monteberg, prepared by PTR Racing.
“We ordered that Skoda almost two years ago. At the moment the Citroën is doing very well and there is no reason to change anything about our planning in the Belgian championship, but I still want to drive our new Skoda. That is why the Bernard Degroote Monteberg Rally is ideal, because here I can get to know the car without pressure. Also, I drove this rally in 2020 and it was my first rally with the Fabia R5 Evo,” says Niels Reynvoet.
Everyone is curious to see whether he can maintain his high level with that new Fabia straight off the start line in SS1.
Three-time winner Davy Vanneste switches to a new manufacturer. Vanneste will start with a Hyundai i20 N Rally2 from BMA, a car that he will also use in Ypres. And what about the VW Polo GTi that he steered to a shared first place last year? This time the car is driven by Gilles Pyck, who is making the reverse switch from Hyundai to VW, also with a view towards the Ardeca Ypres Rally.
Undoubtedly, they will still have to get used to their new cars and this offers opportunities for Vincent Verschueren and Bjorn Syx, who both remain loyal to their Citroën C3 Rally2. They know their car and they will go all out from the first metres.
“My ambition is clear. I am aiming for a podium place. 3, 2 or 1, we will see, but in the meantime I have enough kilometres in my legs to compete for the podium in front of my home crowd in Poperinge,” said Bjorn Syx , who knows the secrets to going fast on the Monteberg stages. “What you especially need for these tests is courage, a lot of courage!,” said Bjorn Syx.
Steve Bécaert, also driving in front of his home crowd Poperinge, is also aiming for a top result. This year he steps back from a Rally2 to a traditional favouirte in the Mitsubishi Lancer EvoX. It takes some of the pressure off, allowing Steve to attack with freedom. “We have driven an R5 a few times, but then everyone expects you to be on the podium or to win. If you are among the Rally2s with a Mitsubishi, everyone thinks you have driven great, even though you may have worked just as hard for it. In any case, we are going to have fun and the goal is to reach the finish at the Markt van Poperinge, because that always gives you a special feeling in your own city!”
Attacking hard will be necessary, because Piet Declercq (Skoda) and the Brits, Weaver (Ford Fiesta R5) and Weatherley (Citroën) also start with top cars. Keep an eye out for Gunther Monnens’ fast Porsche 991 GT3, especially if it stays dry on the Monteberg. He is Paul Lietaer’s target, and Lietaer is always very fast with his Opel Ascona 400, Pieter-Jan Maeyaert in his BMW M3 E30 and Cedriek Merlevede, who starts with the BMW M3 E36. Some may remember that Mats Van den Brand drove this car in Tielt. Melissa Debackere will be at the wheel of a Porsche 997 GT3 for the first time and it will be interesting to see how fast she can adapt.
With five Rally3s at the start, it also promises to be an exciting battle between the Clios of Jim Van den Heuvel, a candidate for the Top 10, Ben Van de Laar, Willem Wouter Overbeek and Xavier Dekeyser and the new Ford Fiesta Rally3 from Frederic Berville. Lander Depotter, who impressed last weekend with a Clio Rally3, would like to be on top in his debut with the Opel Corsa Rally4. He is competing against some very fast regional drivers such as Manuel Merlevede (Opel Corsa Rally4), Stijn Sonneville (Peugeot 208 Rally4), Thijs Meirlevede (Ford Fiesta R2T) and Ludo Vitse (Opel Astra GSi).
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, because there are so many fast cars and talented regional drivers at the start that excitement and spectacle are guaranteed. Mark it on your calendar – Sunday 5 May from 8am. There are 11 challenging special stages that await. A great day of rallying will follow with the winners due in the Markt in Poperinge at around 6 p.m
More information and Tickets: www.clubsuperstage.com
