Jos wins Rallye des Ardennes: 'Very satisfied'

Published on 15 March 2025 by Misha van der Kroon

After winning the Rally van Haspengouw, Jos Verstappen also secured victory in the first Division 2 round of the Belgian Rally Championship (BRC), the Rallye des Ardennes. With this win, Jos has once again made significant progress in the Belgian championship standings.

Alongside co-driver Renaud Jamoul, Verstappen proved to be the strongest competitor in the event held around Dinant in the Belgian Ardennes. Driving his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, the 53-year-old faced his only real challenge from Bastien Rouard, who finished second in his Hyundai i20 Rally2, 35 seconds behind the winning duo after twelve competitive stages.

“The stages were beautiful but also quite tricky. You really had to stay focused,” Jos comments after the rally. “Lately, things have been going really well. The car feels great, and we’re in sync with both the car and the team. The pace notes are good, and we’re working well together. We have confidence, and that has paid off here. I’m very satisfied.”

The rally kicked off on Saturday morning under a crisp winter sun, featuring four different stages, each run three times. Rouard set the fastest time in the opening stage at Onhaye, but Verstappen took the lead on the next stage in Molignée. Rouard narrowly claimed the top spot on the Celles stage, but Jos won the Hastière stage and therefore ended the first round of stages with a 6.1-second lead over the rest of the field.

“We raced here last year, but the course was completely different back then. Most of the stages this year are either reversed or modified, so my experience from last year doesn’t necessarily give me an advantage,” Jos explains.

During the second round over the same four stages, Jos increased his pace and extended his lead to 27.0 seconds. “That was the plan, but making it happen is another thing,” he says. “It went well. I feel great in the car, and when that’s the case, the times come naturally. But don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying myself too. This course is very fast and challenging. You have to stay sharp, and I really pushed on three of the four stages in this round.”

The third and final round began with a narrow stage win for Rouard, followed by a victory for Jos, and another close win for Rouard. On the twelfth and final stage, driven in the dark, Jos sealed his dominant performance with the fastest time of the stage. After 143 km of rallying, he claimed the victory in the Rallye des Ardennes with a total time of 1:13:05.9, finishing 35.4 seconds ahead of his closest rival.