Jos eighth in Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages: 'Enjoyed it'

Published on 13 April 2024 by Misha van der Kroon

Jos Verstappen has taken on a new challenge by participating in the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages in Wales, a rally that is part of the British Rally Championship. It was the first time that the 52-year-old driver participated in a rally on gravel together with his navigator Renaud Jamoul. The duo finished eighth in their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 car. 

“We previously tested on gravel, or actually on sand, in the south of France. We really liked it, so started to look for a nice place for a rally on gravel. That is why we did the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages,” Jos explains. “It was really difficult, but I enjoyed it.” 

Jos continues: “it was incredibly foggy during the first stages. Fortunately the notes we had were good. But we had to build it up, because we had never driven here before. It was a completely new challenge, totally different than what I am used to. But we went for it, and it was great.”

As if their debut on gravel wasn’t difficult enough, Saturday started off incredibly foggy. On the first stage, Sarnau, the duo crossed the line in thirteenth place. They finished eleventh at Tarenig, and twelfth at Myherin. The rally consists of eleven stages, one hundred kilometers in total, and on the fourth stage, called Hafren Sweet Lamb, Verstappen finished eleventh. 

Like always, Jos quickly managed to translate the acquired knowledge into better times. The fog had disappeared, but instead it had started to rain in Wales. A tenth place followed at Sarnau 2, and a decent eighth place at Myherin Main. This led to an eighth place overall for Verstappen and Jamoul. Osian Pryce and Rhodri Evans won the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages.