Ardenne Rally Festival Maxime Potty and Renaud Herman first winners of the Ardenne Rally Festival
Since its creation, the Ardenne Rally Festival has been synonymous with demonstration runs for the cars that shaped rally history. For the 2026 edition based in Alle-sur-Semois, DG Sport decided to add a competitive twist by introducing a brand-new round of the Belgian Rally Championship Division 2. With ten special stages on the schedule and a route reminiscent of the much-appreciated South Belgian Rally, spectators were spoiled for choice this Saturday, May 30. And they certainly weren’t disappointed…
“First and foremost, it’s important to remember that the original idea behind this new BRC D2 event was to take advantage of the Ardenne Rally Festival infrastructure to add around thirty extra cars and bring timing back into the picture,” explained Florian Jupsin of DG Sport. “Mission accomplished, especially since the competitors were delighted with the route and stage layout, with many highlighting the Bourseigne stage for being both technical and natural. In short, an excellent foundation for the future…”
Leader of the Belgian Rally Championship Division 1 after the opening rounds of the season, Maxime Potty (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), once again co-driven by Renaud Herman, fully lived up to his favourite status by setting every fastest time of the day. A perfect way to open the event’s winners list.
A strong challenge was expected from the two other Rally2 cars entered. It quickly became clear that Roger Hodenius (Skoda Fabia RS) could not match the pace of the eventual winner, although he immediately got the better of Bjorn Syx (Toyota GR Yaris), who had come to the Semois region to prepare for Ypres Rally. Unfortunately for Hodenius, he dropped out of the standings during the final loop due to a loss of power, handing second place to Syx.
A race within the race, the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup in Rally4 specification went the way of opening-round winner Lander Depotter (Opel Corsa), who immediately climbed to fourth overall and even managed to finish ahead of Thibaut Mazuin’s Renault Clio Rally3. The young Dutch-speaking driver secured his second consecutive victory and ultimately completed the overall podium, ahead of Corentin Fiasse (Peugeot 208) and Manuel Merlevede (Peugeot 208), while Sergio Plattes (Peugeot 208) continued his strong progression by taking fourth-place points in the Stellantis Rally Cup.
In Rally6, the battle between the two RACB Rally Battle winners was intense. Emilien Allart (Opel Corsa) held the upper hand early in the day, but Nolan Lejeune delivered a decisive attack on the second pass through Bourseigne and created a gap in the standings. This time luck stayed on his side, and Lejeune claimed victory ahead of Allart, Laurent Wilkin (Peugeot 208), Jean Beaupain (Lancia Ypsilon), Brent Boudrez (Lancia Ypsilon), Benoit Wauthier (Peugeot 208) and Christophe Geoffroy (Peugeot 208). There is no doubt that the Ardenne Rally Festival highlighted both the strength of the Rally6 concept and the RACB National Team selection.
Among the historic cars, Frédéric François (Ford Escort Mk2) clearly dominated the HBRC category and even secured a place inside the overall top ten. The driver from Luxembourg Province enjoyed finishing ahead of Olivier Breittmayer’s crowd-favourite BMW M1, while Guy Grosjean claimed victory in YBRC with his Peugeot 205 GTi.
Also worth noting was Laurent Mottet’s excellent ninth overall position in an older-generation Peugeot 306, taking on much more modern machinery and showcasing impressive pace.
That brings the curtain down on the sporting side of the Ardenne Rally Festival 2026, which once again delivered variety and excitement in a more attractive setting than ever — all under glorious sunshine throughout both days.
