After starting the season with Rally Monte Carlo, Rally Sweden and Rally van Haspengouw, John Wartique will be celebrating his comeback on the forthcoming Ardeca Ypres Rally, before moving on to the GTC Rally in the Netherlands. For the occasion, he will be back at the wheel of the Porsche 992 Rally GT, this time entered by EMO Sport. Both events will count towards the 2026 Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux..
The last time we saw John Wartique in a Porsche 992 Rally GT was at the Spa Rally 2025, following on from the JMC Rallye Hautes-Fagnes. It's a car that the driver is particularly fond of, and one that he'll be seeing more than once in the coming weeks..
it's no secret that Lionel Hansen is at the heart of this Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux," comments John Wartique. He didn't have to insist much to convince me. After the Rally van Haspengouw, I had decided, for administrative reasons, to give up the Belgian championship and devote myself to developing my start-up. But the Westhoek and its very special stages, all at the wheel of a Porsche 992 Rally GT, was an opportunity I had to seize! In order to get a feel for the Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux, and to see if I have a role to play, I'll be following that up with the GTC Rally, a Dutch event scheduled for July 10 and 11, which will serve as the third round of the competition between the 992 Rally GTs..."
Still co-driven by Maxime Andernack, John Wartique approaches the first of the two events with the usual humility... "I love Ypres I love Ypres, even though I've only contested the event once before, in 2023 with the C3 Rally2," continues John. As soon as you don't drive Rally2 regularly, the choice of the Porsche makes sense. I'm familiar with the car and I've already made a name for myself at the wheel of it, whether in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg or at Jalhay. At Spa last year, the lap times were good, and that wasn't lost on anyone. Ypres will be a different kettle of fish, with the announced presence of Quentin Gilbert at the wheel of a similar car, no doubt that of Cédric Cherain, plus those who started the Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux at the Rallye de Wallonie, and several drivers who specialise in the special stages of Ypres and the surrounding region. It promises to be a royal battle, and I'm looking forward to it..."
By also confirming his presence on the GTC Rally, John Wartique is giving himself the best possible chance of collecting important points in the Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux... " At the end of the event in the Netherlands, I'll decide what to do next for the season. It could possibly include the Saarland-Pfalz Rally in Germany and the East Belgian Rally, if things go well. But one thing at a time... This return to the wheel of the 992 Rally GT has enabled me to reactivate certain contacts linked to Porsche, and it's with the utmost seriousness that I'm going to prepare with the EMO Sport team for the Ardeca Ypres Rally, which remains a major event that can't be improvised..."
For the Ypres Rally and the GTC Rally, the Porsche 992 Rally GT of John Wartique and Maxime Andernack will be carrying the colours of Reco +, Nervia Plastic, Greterco and Fuels-X.
Photos: Rally Art
John Wartique - +33 6 47 07 26 66 -
