For this Rally 4 Porsche 2023, a ‘neutral zone’ has been set up on the Vaux-et-Borset classification stage (EC 3/6/9). It will be located near the Vaux-et-Borset local school and rue Joseph Durbuy, i.e. just before point 11 and as far as point 12 on the map.
On this section of approximately 500m, competitors will be driving in a liaison sector. They will no longer be timed and will not be able to exceed the maximum speed of 50km/h.
So there will be no spectacle at all in this section, which is strictly closed to the public. « While the principle may make some participants sceptical, our event, which does not count towards any championship, should be a laboratory for new ideas on the future organisation of road sports competitions, » explains Julien Frère, the project manager.
The adage ‘move along, there’s nothing to see’ will be more relevant than ever in this case. Fellow spectators, please avoid this area if you want to avoid disappointment
Less than two months before the event, those eager with impatience can now register for the speed and regularity tests of the Rally 4 Porsche, which will take place in Huy on 3 and 4 June. So it’s high time to shed some light on the course!
In October 2022, the Rally 4 Porsche was a newcomer in the world of rallying, and the event immediately impressed followers and participants. The latter will be even more numerous for the second edition, as the event has been moved forwards, to a more favourable summer date. It is now scheduled for the first weekend in June. In the meantime, some big names on the entry list have also been divulged. In addition to the previously announced Robert Droogmans, the three winners of last year’s speed test – Emile Tollet (“Classic”), Thibaud Mazuin (“SR/modified”) and Andy Lefevere (“Modern”) – are already certain to compete and face the competition.
In the regularity rally, with the “ASAF Regularity VHRS”-label, two average speeds are used (50 or 65 km/h). Among the first entrants, we note the presence of Jacques Evrard and Yves Deflandre, while Didier Gathy is also still diligently looking for a car that would allow him to write his name on the winners’ list a second time.
More than the sporting aspect, on which the « R4P »-team led by Yves Matton and Jean-Marc Fortin is still hard at work, it is above all the satisfaction of being able to offer a complete course that predominates: “We can never thank the councils of Huy, Clavier and Somme-Leuze enough for the trust they have placed in us. Better yet, we also welcome the enthusiasm and dynamism of the Villers-le-Bouillet town council, which has decided to follow in their footsteps. The welcome they have given us exceeded our wildest expectations. In addition to a special stage, we also organize a regroup, close to the town hall”, says Yves Matton.
Due to the relatively short period between the first two editions, the course has not undergone any major changes. ”We have indeed decided not to change the two stages that were very popular in 2022, Moulin de Solières and Clavier”, says Stéphane Lhonnay, responsible for the course and safety. “The latter was very much appreciated by the drivers, especially because of its length and challenging character, while in Solières the incredibly spectacular passage on the gravel of the car park at the Mill has already acquired a cult status. The same applies to the first braking zone of the test, where the growling engines can be heard from afar. As for the new stage of Vaux-et-Borset, on the territory of Villers-le-Bouillet, this stage will start at the roundabout in the village of Warnant-Dreye (with the Porsches, this guarantees – an absolutely safe – spectacle!), after which the stage continues with a somewhat Haspengouw route of almost 10 kilometres.”
Another novelty of this test is the use of two ‘slow zones’, which the participants will have to respect thoroughly. It is a well-known concept from regularity events, but new for speed tests. “Although some participants are quite sceptical about it, our competition – which is not eligible for any championship – is the ideal opportunity to try out new concepts for the future of rallying”, says project manager Julien Frère. “However, the participants can rest assured, we will brief them sufficiently on how to respect these slow zones. More communication will follow later to prevent the public from going to these zones, because there will not be much interesting to see.”
A varied menu, with a course of three loops of three stages, for a total of 368.47 km, of which 105.51 against the clock! The first cars will leave the starting podium on Avenue Delchambre in Huy on Sunday 4 June at 8 a.m., while the finish is scheduled around 6:30 p.m. on the Grand’Place of Huy. At that point, the names of the « best Porsche drivers » in each category are known, drivers who will have avoided all the difficulties of the challenging course. We would like to repeat that the speed rally is open to foreign teams, vintage cars, modified prototypes and modern GT3s, while the VHRS (50 and 60 km/h) and ‘Demo’ categories are open to any Porsche whose production started before 31/12/1997. The Englishman Keith Mclvor (Porsche 911 SC) is also the first competitor from across the Channel to register for the speed rally. Just like last year, fans can also go to the tests completely free of charge.
Registration is open on the organization’s website (www.r4p.be), or via the new platform ‘R4CE’ . Those who register before May 1 also enjoy a discount. You have been warned…
An exceptional event to celebrate 75 years of Porsche and 60 years of the 911
Four events in one, over the course of a single weekend
Open to all types of Porsches, without any restriction
After an impressive inaugural edition in the fall of 2022, the Rally 4 Porsche will see its second edition in the spring of 2023 (on June 3-4), much to the delight of owners, drivers and enthusiasts whose hearts beat only for the Stuttgart brand. Just like last year, there will be something for everybody. Spectacular? You can count on it!
In 2022, the Rally 4 Porsche surprised the car world with an event in an unprecedented format in Belgium, which will be repeated next spring. A car weekend which, as its name suggests, plays the single-brand card without being sectarian. Quite the contrary. On the one hand, the weekend revolves around four events: a speed rally, a sporting regularity rally, a tourist ride and a charity co-drive. On the other hand, with 2023 being the 60th anniversary of the 911 and the 75th of the German manufacturer, the Rally 4 Porsche is aimed at everyone who shares this passion for the brand and is open to all Porsche badged vehicles, whether it has 4, 6, 8 or 10 cylinders, whether it’s front, mid or rear-engined, whether it’s a coupe, cabrio, sedan or SUV, from the origins of the brand to the present day.
In the heart of the city at the Meuse
Yves Matton, figurehead of the event and initiator of the project and assisted by his sidekick Jean-Marc Fortin, is a fervent Porsche lover himself. He explains how this second edition will be organised: “The first Rally 4 Porsche was exceptional in more ways than one. We managed to bring together 170 Porsches and at least twice as many Porsche drivers, their entourage, fans of the brand and one of its greatest ambassadors worldwide, Jacky Ickx. However, the beginning of autumn was not really the best time of year, in the midst of an overloaded post-covid calendar, and only a few weeks before another major car event in the region. However, the event was a success. It’s further proof that Belgium is a country of car lovers and that the Porsche brand is dear to them.”
Just like last year, the HQ of the Rally 4 Porsche will be installed in the heart of the city of Huy, with the region around the Meuse city serving as a backdrop for the various aspects of the event throughout the weekend. “We are once again fortunate to benefit from the support of the city of Huy and the authorities of the surrounding districts. Not only do they open the doors to a wonderful setting, steeped in automotive history, but they also allow us to add personality and character to each of the 4 events that make up this Rally 4 Porsche, by giving us the opportunity to establish exciting, selective and safe routes for participants and spectators alike.”
No limits
The format of the weekend, different from other activities traditionally offered to Porsche lovers, also allows a communion between the points of interest of every participant and to build bridges between different kinds of passion, explains Yves Matton, former Rally Director at the FIA: “We build our event so everyone can enjoy it and participate and/or attend the other events of the weekend. We try to avoid, as much as possible, an overlap in the various activities. At the moment not all details of the program are set in stone, but we can already confirm that the friendly and relaxed tourist ride will take place on Saturday, run under a new ‘all in’ formula. On Sunday, it’s time for sporting events, with speed and regularity rallies, two disciplines in which the various Porsche models very often excel, both in Belgium and abroad. We maintain a ‘Demo’ category for those who want to have fun on safe and closed roads, even with an original vehicle, as long as it is built before 1996. And we won’t forget the charity co-drive, by involving the general public and offering them the opportunity to be a passenger in a Porsche.”
It’s too early to give all the details of each of the components of the Porsche weekend in Huy, but starting February 22nd entries for the event are open. However, it’s already established that the speed rally, which will once again see Robert Droogmans, one of the so-called Three Musketeers, compete at the wheel of a 911, should offer between 110 and 120 km of special stages in the Huy region. The speed rally welcomes foreign crews, historic cars, modified prototypes and modern GT3s, and in the ‘Demo’ category any Porsche built before 1996. The regularity test, with the VHRS label (historic vehicles for sports regularity), will take the same route but with average speeds of 50 or 65 km/h and will be concocted by a big name in the discipline, Yves Noelanders. As for the tourist ride, on open roads and in strict compliance with the highway code, it will take Porsche fans to the most spectacular corners of Wallonia, following a specific route, punctuated by a tasty stopover at noon. The charitable co-drive will focus on the region around Huy. Finally: the speed and regularity rallies will end with the awarding of a high-end prize, closely linked to the theme of the category.
You will be able to find the program of the Rally 4 Porsche from Friday in the following points of sale at the price of 5€:
Bookstore RN 90 Rue Joseph Wauters 38 / 4500 Huy Café ‘Le Chez Nous’ Avenue Delchambre 3 / 4500 Huy Main marquee on Avenue Delchambre throughout the weekend
Before the time it’s not yet the time. After the time it’s no longer the time! The adage is well known and prevails even more in rallying. Whether it’s a speed or regularity event, clocking in on time is imperative. « Rally 4 Porsche » would like to reward the winning team in the category that will be the most represented at the start with an exceptional prize: a pair of « Raidillon » watches will be given to the driver and co-driver. A gift worth 3,000 euros per watch and to be discovered on the website of our partner: www.raidillon-watches.com
Please note that a third watch will be distributed during the prize-giving ceremony, by drawing lots for one of the members of a classified crew present at the prize-giving ceremony.
The conditions for the awarding of the watch are available here.
Another reason to enter the Rally 4 Porsche: https://r4p.be/inscription-rallyes/
Icon of Belgian and world motorsport, Jacky Ickx will honour us with his presence for the first edition of the “Rally 4 Porsche”.
The man known as “Mr. Le Mans”, because of his 6 victories in the Sarthe, will be present at the finish of our ride tour on Saturday 8 October on the Grand Place in Huy before taking part in the “911” and “959” evenings.
It is therefore not too late to take advantage of such a presence and register for our ride tour and/or our evenings.
The Rally 4 Porsche will be held for the first time in just under sixty days. For those who are not yet aware, the event will, as its name indicates, be reserved for participants with a Porsche. However, the organisers are not being sectarian and will welcome both “all-rear” and “mid-engine” cars as well as “front-engine” cars! There is no need to worry: if you do not want to race, there will be a regularity event over the same route as the speed rally, as well as a route which will take you to Stavelot. There will be something for everyone, we assure you!
The event having already been the subject of a specific presentation (which you can find on the website www.r4p.be, and which can be consulted in English, French and Dutch) by way of an aperitif, it is time for the main course, the rally! We already know that it has attracted a great deal of interest and that some are already impatient to fight for the honour – the privilege! – of being crowned “best Porsche rally driver”.
To do this, it will be necessary to avoid all the pitfalls of an event “for big boys” (although naturally girls are also welcome!) about which the organisers are full of praise: “We had set ourselves quite a few conditions, notably that of not imposing ourselves on certain local residents with the passage of two events a few weeks apart,” begins Julien Frère, the project manager. “And we are proud to have practically succeeded, with the exception of two small kilometres, only one of which is bordered by a few houses. It was not easy, however, and the municipal administrations of Huy, Wanze, Clavier and Somme-Leuze must in particular be thanked for their collaboration, because they have enabled us to turn many of our ideas for the route into reality!”
In detail (but not too much all the same!), Yves Matton and his associates have managed to create a special show in … Solières, even though the surroundings of this charming village are well known to all rally fans! Let us point out a place which will undoubtedly gather all the public’s votes thanks to a “first”: a hyper-spectacular section in the… car park of the famous Moulin de Solières!
Stéphane Lhonnay, responsible for the route, is no less proud of the second special stage: “In fact, we have received the unconditional support of the village of Huccorgne, which has never before hosted a special stage, even though there are a great many enthusiasts among its inhabitants. Their pleasure will be increased tenfold when they know that this is also a special show stage. And that of the competitors too, with, in particular, a very tight left-hand hairpin near the village church and the local school which will require drivers to use the handbrake if they want to avoid a time-consuming “manoeuvre”.
Finally, the R4P team has not lacked skill in Clavier, mixing portions formerly used by other events to create a special stage of almost 15 kilometres presenting a particularly representative range of all the types of surface which can be found there! And something tells us that the public will have very much enjoy the fast but safe section around the Château de Vervoz …
This is a quality menu, we agree, for a route which will be composed of three loops of three special stages plus a fourth passage in Solières, totalling 341 kilometres, 110 of which will be timed!
The first competitors will leave the start area, located on the Avenue Delchambre in Huy, on Sunday at 08.00, while the prize-giving ceremony will take place on the Grand’Place in Huy at 19.30.
On October 8th and 9th, Huy will live on Stuttgart time. Throughout the weekend, the Porsche brand will be omnipresent in and around the city at the Meuse river, with a rally and a regularity test which will take place on Sunday. On Saturday, there will also be an impressive tour, for which the organizers have already concocted a five-star menu!
Competition, regularity or tour: there will be something for everyone, at the beginning of October in Huy. And although a rally exclusively reserved for Porsche cars is absolutely unique, we already know that the Porsche by R4P-tour will mark the spirits, too.
Have a look at this: after having lined up their beautiful German machinery on Avenue Delchambre and after enjoying a gourmet breakfast, the participants will set off at their leisure, from 10 AM, for a first stage of around one hundred kilometres. It will take them to Stavelot, over roads in good condition and through carefully selected valleys. After the lunch break, the return drive of around 130 kilometres will pass Namur, through a region which also has some nice surprises in store.
« Obviously, we will not reveal everything just yet, but the objective is that the Porsche drivers will keep a lasting memory of this event », says Romuald Honnay, the well-known head of ‘The Cabana Team’, known for its exploits during the Condroz Rally and a specialist in tourist tours. “We did not want to bore the participants with a complicated or difficult route. It is not a contest, and not a quiz either. On the other hand, there will be a simple but clear roadbook, including a whole series of nice viewpoints, remarkable places, heritage sites, etc… where the participants will be able to make a short stopover if they want to. This is a real tourist tour, let there be no doubt about that!”
But the clientele of Porsche consists, probably more than any other, out of real enthusiasts: “That is also the reason the lunch break will be held at the Abbaye de Stavelot. A walking dinner will be offered to everyone, as well as entry to the Spa-Francorchamps museum, which, as everyone knows, is located in these superb buildings. Participants will have plenty of time to enjoy a visit before leaving for the afternoon drive, with the arrival in Huy being scheduled at 6 PM. Good to know: this return drive will end by using the roads of one of the special stages that the competitors of the Rally will cover the next day!”
And there is no need to end such a wonderful day there and then! Those who wish can participate in the Porsche 959-evening, which will take place in the facilities of MY Vintage, or in the 911-barbecue dinner, which will take place in the centre of Huy!
As icing on the cake: this enticing program is offered, all inclusive (except evenings), at the democratic price of €180 per car (2 occupants). For each additional passenger €50 will be requested. To register and obtain all the details of the 959- or 911-evenings, all you need to do is visit www.r4p.be, tab “Balade”.
On 8 and 9 October 2022, the first edition of an event entirely dedicated to Porsches will take place in the region around Huy. It will be divided into four versions: a speed rally, a regularity event, a tour and a co-driving event. This will allow everyone, be they Belgian or foreign, to live their passion for the emblematic German marque!
In the collective unconscious, the Porsche marque is one of the two or three most likely to be mentioned as soon as the conversation turns to sports cars or motor sport.
The idea of devoting a road event to it (as opposed to the many track events on offer) remained for a few years solely in the heads of two friends, until they came across an attentive ear, a real trigger. The snowball effect was immediate and, in a short time, a series of enthusiasts, all involved in motor sport and led by well-known personalities such as Yves Matton and Jean-Marc Fortin, decided to join forces to launch a concept which, although not exactly original, is at least 100% original in its “quadruple” variation.
“We wanted to address all Porsche drivers, including foreigners as the event will be Open, and to welcome all Porsches, from the 356 to the 992, via the 914 and the front engine models, whether they are prepared for competition or simply in series production,” begins Julien Frère, project manager. “And to offer them the opportunity to express themselves in a road event in the most appropriate way for each of them. Some will prefer an authentic speed rally, organised in collaboration with the “Écurie NEW Racing”; others will take part in the regularity event organised by one of the masters in the field, Yves Noelanders, while those who do not have a competition-prepared car will have the choice between a tour or the co-driving event, which will be a perfect opportunity to do a good deed for a charity.”
The project literally “hit the nail on the head” in Huy: “As soon as Julien told me about it, I was seduced,”explains Yves Matton, the famous “attentive ear”! “Everybody knew that I wanted to get involved in “my” region. This Rally 4 Porsche – Huy came at just the right time. I contacted several friends who were all enthusiastic and, above all, the town of Huy decided to give us its support by agreeing to host the nerve centre of the event, with the onus on us to ensure perfect collaboration with local residents.”
Ultimately, the most complex challenge was to find a date! “We have only been discussing the project for a few weeks. There are regulations to follow and deadlines to meet. The aftermath of the pandemic is still very much with us. With already very busy schedules, the date of 8 and 9 October 2022 will only be for this first edition to take place this year: the events in future years will be held earlier in the year, in the spring or during the summer,”said the former FIA rally director before adding, “Having said that, we have made sure that our event does not interfere in any way with the Belgian championship or the ASAF championship where it is registered. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both the members and the organisers for the warm welcome we received!”
Although it is still a little early to reveal exactly what is on the menu, you should know that the speed rally will cover between 100 and 120 kilometres of special stages in the Condroz and Hesbaye; the regularity event, with the VHRS label (vehicules historiques de régularité sportive – historic regularity sports cars), will follow the same course but with averages of 50 and 65 kph; the tour (on open roads and in strict compliance with the highway code) will take the participants to discover the Condroz without taking in the rally stages and with a quality stopover at lunchtime, and the charity co-driving event will allow them to discover the Huy region. Last but not least, in each of the four variations of the event, there will be a quality prize to be won, each time in line with the theme of that particular category.
