On Friday, April 26th and Saturday, April 27th, R4P organises a brand new ‘Festival’, in collaboration with the Rallye de Wallonie. The most iconic rally cars from the history of the sport will be brought together on special stages in the region around Huy and Namur.
The R4P team, which is led by Yves Matton and Jean-Marc Fortin and which has already organized the Rally 4 Porsche in Huy for the past two years, is organizing a brand new event on April 26th and 27th, called Rally 4 Passion. This so-called ‘Festival’ is organized between Huy and Namur, without any competitive element, to the delight of fans of the golden age of rallying.
Group 4, Group B, Group A, kit cars, first-generation World Rally Cars… These cars made the hearts of rally enthusiasts beat faster – and they still do, more than ever. All these cars can now once again show their potential in the most optimal safety conditions, on stages that are held in a region that is close to the hearts of rally experts and the event organizers alike.
“Demo” and “Festival” atmosphere
Germany, Italy, France… In all these countries, Eifel Rallye Festival-type events – the great precursor – are getting more and more popular, both among fans and among the owners of these cars that have written rally history. The organizers of Rally 4 Passion, very attached to their region in the Condroz and along the banks of the Meuse, want to offer a fun event, without any sporting element, completely revolving around the show and fun factors. The only thing that could be measured is the applause.
“Rally 4 Passion will certainly please fans of the golden era of rallying. The absence of all the obligations that a competition entails allows us to receive the fans of this genre – drivers, owners of these cars and rally fans – in optimal conditions, and gather them in our beautiful region, for an event that is all about fun », says Yves Matton, spearhead of the organizing team.
In collaboration with the Automobile Club de Namur
Rally 4 Passion will be held over two days. On Friday, April 26th, the cars, which will be divided by year of manufacture, will complete two passes on an iconic special stage of the Condroz Rally. On Saturday we head to Namur, to drive two loops of the Rallye de Wallonie – which is organized during the same weekend. “We are very pleased to be able to collaborate with the Automobile Club de Namur and the team of Étienne Lerson, organizers of the Rallye de Wallonie in the BRC, for the second day of Rally 4 Passion”, said a delighted Yves Matton.
“There was an opportunity to connect Huy and Namur, through this original and future-oriented program. On the one hand, there is the double passage of an iconic stage of the Condroz Rally on Friday, on the other hand, two loops of the Rallye de Wallonie on Saturday. I am convinced that enthusiasts will come to the stages in large numbers, to enjoy the spectacle offered by these dream cars. Even those who could not attend rallies when these cars competed for the first time will still want to attend, of that I am fully convinced.”
Etienne Lerson, president of the Automobile Club de Namur, is also looking forward to this original collaboration, which will attract even more people to the Rallye de Wallonie stages: “We were slightly surprised by this collaboration proposal from the Rally 4 Passion team. We first assured ourselves that it was feasible, by consulting the RACB for example, but also our race directors Étienne Massillon and Jules Liégeois. The latter takes the regularity competition and Rally 4 Passion under his wings, and we will be happy to welcome the participants in this highly original event.”
A high-quality entry list
Rally 4 Passion can also count on the support of Reinhard Klein, organizer of the Eifel Rallye Festival, and the organizing team of the Alsace Rallye Festival. “From the start, we could count on the support and enthusiasm of Reinhard Klein, who launched the Slowly Sideways concept a few years ago at the Eifel Rallye Festival, as well as Jacky Jung, the organizer of the Alsace Rallye Festival. Both will help us to organize this unique event.”
For several weeks now, the R4P team has been using its extensive network to spread the word about this new event. To enthusiasts and owners of eligible cars, but also to drivers who could participate in this grand rally festival. “We can also use the relationship network of Slowly Sideways and the Alsace Rallye Festival to offer a high-quality starting field. We will also use our own network, built up over many years in the WRC, to bring big rally names to Huy and Namur. They will certainly have a lot of fun driving or admiring these cars that have written rally history.”
So it’s a date! The first edition of the Rally 4 Passion – Huy-Namur Rallye Festival takes place on Friday, April 26th and Saturday, April 27th. Don’t miss it!
