A fine anniversary to celebrate, a field with national flair, and bright sunshine overhead, everything pointed to the 50th Rally of Wervik becoming a real highlight. But the party didn’t happen for several teams who were forced to pull their entry. Smith/Purdy and Allfrey/Fellowes couldn’t get their cars repaired in time after the damage in ORC, and Weatherley/Layland also had to resign at the last moment due to an unexpected issue on their C3.
Wervik is not exactly the easiest event in the Challenge, and the heavy rain in the days before the rally threatened to turn the stages into muddy chaos. In the end it wasn’t too bad, though the opening tests still produced a few tense moments thanks to treacherously slippery cuts. The first victims were the Quigley brothers, who ended up in a field after a hefty spin, in a corner that scared many crews. No damage fortunately, but the tone for their Wervik debut was set.
SS2 proved fatal for the other rookies, father and son Sanderson. Their first rally in Belgium, their first time making their own notes, and immediately in a ruthless event, but with an experienced coach like Gawaine Clark beside them, confidence was high. A broken driveshaft stopped the 205 already on SS2, but after their restart in the second loop they quickly posted some promising times.
The Historics also welcomed several newcomers. Anderson/Martin, despite their extensive Belgian experience, had never competed in Wervik before, just like FIRC newcomers Yates/Lee and Roberts/Bos. All teams handled it impressively well, a cautious start and a steady build-up proved to be the right approach. The Galant crew took command of the Historics early and never let go, although beating Paul Lietaer was not on the cards this time. Still, fourth overall in the Historics was a strong result. Perhaps the standout performance of the rally came from Yates/Lee, who placed their beautiful Porsche second in the Historics and 33rd overall, right on the heels of Anderson/Martin.
Geoff Roberts, with “our” Juha Bos alongside him, meanwhile discovered the small Flemish lanes. After some adaptation the times came quickly, although the pair couldn’t resist a brief visit to a ditch. Smith/Vincent delivered their almost traditional flawless run and were rewarded with third place in the Historics. Webb/Bates rounded off the class with their lovely Cortina, which once again drew plenty of attention. Just ahead of them we saw father and son Smith, on their annual Wervik outing. They also claimed the 2WD win, admittedly as the only entrants in the class, but no one begrudges the friendly duo their trophy.
Meanwhile, one team once again towered above the rest. Pex/Preda were untouchable in FIRC and even broke into the overall top ten, although Pex senior had to concede to son Stan. The Quigleys, despite the time lost after their early mistake, still secured second place in FIRC and finished just ahead of Anderson/Martin overall. The Sandersons, finally, couldn’t avoid a ditch after their restart, a moment that ended their rally for good. Plenty of work ahead for the team, with a heavily battered 205 to repair.
After a busy FIRC spring, it’s almost time for the third Westhoek round,albeit on another level: the sacred week of the Ypres Rally. A whole group of friends will once again cross the Channel to watch or compete, including BP Rally with Scott Barnes, Jeremy Packer and Glyn Thomas. Pex/Christiaens will of course also be present. In the Historics we’ll see Tomas and Eurig Davies, John Morgan/Llynos Jones and Waterman/Davies. Plenty of familiar faces in the entry list, and undoubtedly many more along the stages. We have a feeling there is a big party in the making...
