There is no doubt about it: the 911 GT3 Cup – Type 992 – fitted with the Rally GT kit made a strong impression on the 43rd Rallye de Wallonie. Not only did the competitors of the brand-new Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux deliver plenty of spectacle, their performances also did not go unnoticed. Romain Delhez even crowned himself as the season’s first – double – winner…
From the very first stages of the Namur season opener of the Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux, the tone was set. Romain Delhez and Gérôme Bollette, behind the wheel of a Porsche prepared by the French RSR team, on the one hand, and Thomas Anacleto, co-driven by Anthony Bourdeaud’hui, in the colours of EMO Sport 1 on the other, not only led the standings of the official brand cup under the approval of Porsche Motorsport, but also positioned themselves inside the top five of the overall classification. Even more impressive: in SS3 Crupet 1, Delhez even set the overall fastest time! A performance he repeated one loop later on the same stage.
The pace was set, and it would never drop again. While he was only a few seconds behind Romain Delhez, Frenchman Thomas Anacleto went off the road in SS9. The road was clear for the driver from Liège, who at the end of the first competition day – which counted as the first points allocation – drove to victory, ahead of Tom Rensonnet and Johan Jalet (EMO Sport 2), Dylan Henrard and Kevin Dejonge (Dekens Motorsport), Loïc Pirot and Jean-Baptiste Bodet (EMO Sport 1), and Sébastien Incardona and Christophe Poës (EMO Sport 2).
During Sunday’s leg, Delhez attacked once again. He set another overall scratch time in SS20 Fernelmont-Eghezée 3 and secured a second day victory, while also placing himself in the overall top three of the rally and collecting the Power Stage points as well. In the PRTB standings, he stayed ahead of Tom Rensonnet, Dylan Henrard and Sébastien Incardona. Bad luck struck Loïc Pirot, who saw a potential podium finish disappear due to an unfortunate technical issue near the finish.
“A simply perfect weekend,” reacted Romain Delhez. “Two competition days, two wins, what more could you ask for? Together with Gérôme, we didn’t run into trouble a single time all weekend long, which means we had everything fully under control and even kept some margin! The final result could perhaps have been even better if we had been able to complete more test kilometres before the event to work on the car setup. On Saturday, the duel with Thomas Anacleto was particularly exciting, and after this weekend I am very happy with the cooperation with team RSR. We will of course continue, even though the Ypres Rally, which I have never competed in before, is not necessarily on our schedule…”
“Within the Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux, each competition day has its own separate classification,” Series Manager Yves Matton reminds us. “So the counters were reset to zero on Sunday morning. This allowed us to clearly see how Tom Rensonnet kept closing in on Romain Delhez. Thomas Anacleto really enjoyed the Namur stages. His mistake was small, but the mechanical consequences were too severe to allow him to return on Sunday. However, we should see him again later this season. Dylan Henrard, who was making a one-off appearance, likely paid the price for the lack of kilometres during shakedown with small technical issues. Had he started the rally with the setup he eventually finished with, the times would have been even better. Loïc Pirot had, by his own admission, a difficult rally, which unfortunately ended in the final loop. Sébastien Incardona, on the other hand, greatly enjoyed driving the Porsche, which he would have liked to get to know better before the start. We may also see him again later this season…”
For Prospeed, which is at the wheel of the Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux, the outcome of this opening round – above all a discovery event – is positive. “The team takes away many lessons here for the next rallies,” explains Rudi Penders. “For a first time, this is a very encouraging balance. A representative of Porsche Motorsport was present in the Namur region and was very impressed by the bravery of the rally drivers and the enthusiasm of the public for the 911 GT3 Cup with Rally GT kit. This bodes well for the future.”
The Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux was also generous in terms of prizes, supporting the competitors for the rest of the championship. “Romain Delhez won two complete sets of tyres, offered by our partner Michelin,” explains Lionel Hansen, who is strongly involved in the launch of the new brand cup. “Tom Rensonnet won, through the draw, the reimbursement of his entry fee for the Rallye de Wallonie! In addition, thanks to his performance during the weekend, he also won two Michelin tyres.”
After the Rallye de Wallonie, Romain Delhez logically leads the drivers’ standings with 61 points, compared to 42 for Tom Rensonnet, 32 for Dylan Henrard, 29 for Sébastien Incardona, 14 for Loïc Pirot and 5 for Thomas Anacleto. EMO Sport 2 is the first leader in the teams’ standings with 61 points, compared to 51 for RD Racing, 27 for Dekens Motorsport and 12 for EMO Sport 1.
At the Ypres Rally, on the last weekend of June, the Porsche Rally Trophy Benelux returns to the special stages. And it looks like the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with Rally GT kit will be present in large numbers in the Westhoek…
Link to the standings:
Intermediate standings:
Drivers: 1. Romain DELHEZ 61 – 2. Tom RENSONNET 42 – 3. Dylan HENRARD 32 – 4. Sébastien INCARDONNA 29 – 5. Loic PIROT 14 – 6. Thomas ANACLETO 5.
Teams: 1. EMO Sport 61 – 2. RD Racing 50 – 3. DEKENS MOTORSPORT 27 – 4. EMO SPORT 1 12.
