For years now, together with a team of talented photographers, I have been closely following the Belgian Rally Championship. Every year we publish a physical BRC yearbook (RallyRecap), with ten additional championships in addition to the Rally2 story, each with its own A4 page. From that experience, in this article I highlight the people who made the biggest impression on me this year.
Let’s start with the two riders who caught everyone’s eye this year.
Jos Verstappen dominated the championship and became the second foreigner in the last four years to call himself Belgian champion. In the field, I often hear comments that the level in Belgium is not that high anymore. Personally, I find that big nonsense; just take a good look at the last two foreigners who became champions. Stéphane Lefebvre is an impressive pilot, it is not easy to become a factory driver in the WRC. Every race the Frenchman takes part in, he is immediately among the favorites.
And then there is Verstappen. Even with him, you don’t just appear at the start of an F1 race 106 times. Whether you want to admit it or not, the Dutchman has talent, and talent does not perish. He proved that with his incredibly fast progression in rallying. In 2022, he was at the start of a rally race for the first time, in Haspengouw. Three years later, he crowned himself champion of Belgium – what an achievement!
And then Cédric Cherain, what a pilot! Give the man a steering wheel, a car and four wheels, and he gets everything out of it, as if he had never driven anything else. Years ago, decades even, he drove his way into my rallying heart. Meanwhile, I think he knows how to charm every rally fan in Belgium. I don’t need to spend many words on this; I am convinced that Cherain has caught everyone’s eye this year.
I hope from the bottom of my rallying heart that we will see both gentlemen in action often in Belgium.
Then we have our future – and what a future! For me, a handful of talents stood out head and shoulders above everyone else.
We begin with our junior champion, Lander Depotter. What did you show us this year! Lander not only dominated the junior championship and the Stellantis Cup, but also proved his class in a Rally2 car. And how! His first appearance with the Citroën C3 Rally2 was an instant hit: he finished third overall in Tielt. After that, the 22-year-old driver from Avelgem took victory in the RS of Lubbeek and put the finishing touches to the ‘i’ in the busy Kortrijk.
The ginger one, Thomas Martens, how much experience can a nineteen-year-old really have? Ever since he was eleven, he has been participating in rally races in Scandinavia. He gets excellent guidance and handles everything remarkably maturely and professionally. This season he drove to eighth place in the hotly contested JWRC and we saw him test-drive the Rally3 in Haspengouw, where he finished ninth overall.
During the East Belgian Rally, Thomas made his first meters in a Rally2 and cleverly put the orange Citroën in sixth place overall, among a dozen other, more experienced Rally2 drivers. Just over a month later, he took his very first overall victory in the same car at the RS Villersois. On top of that, he wrote his first two scratches in the BRC at the Spa rally.
Leny Cols dominated the BRC Trophy, leading the juniors for almost the entire season. Yet, sometimes to his own frustration, he could not compete against the more powerful Rally4 cars with his Renault Clio Rally5. Despite this, he did not let his head down and got everything out of the car that he could.
Like his father at the time, Leny was given the opportunity to participate in a promotional format to compete in the Monte-Carlo Rally. There he was introduced to a Rally3 car and set great times.
In addition to the full Belgian championship, the young driver chose to participate in the highly regarded French gravel championship. He made nice progress there, until disaster struck during the Rallye Terre des Cardabelles. There, the 21-year-old top talent went hard off the track, leaving him and his co-pilot with serious injuries.
Hope you recover quickly so we can see you back in action soon! Someone once told me that there are two types of rally drivers and navigators: those who have yet to crash, and those who have already crashed. Hereby you join the second category 🙂 .
Another top Belgian talent is Tom Heindrichs. The 21-year-old half-brother of Thierry Neuville is by now a familiar name in the Belgian rallying landscape. In his first season he finished second in the Stellantis Cup Belux, and the following year, last year, he crowned himself champion in the same cup. This season we only saw him in Belgium at the end of the year, in Spa, but internationally he put in strong performances. He dominated the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup and also collected 39 points in the European Rally Trophy. As a result, he will contest the ERC in 2026 in the Opel Corsa Rally4.
At Spa, he appeared at the start with the Citroën C3 Rally2 for the first time. And how! He almost finished the opening day in the lead, but had to let Cherain go ahead due to a flat tire on the very last stage. He also lost a place on the second day due to another flat tire. But what an impression he left behind: great times, even better passages and an even better result!
23-year-old Michiel Seys also caught our eye this season. This year he made the switch from the Opel Kadett C to the BMW E36 Compact. He drove his first competition kilometers with the BMW in Division 2 during the Ypres Rally, where he had to retire early because the fuel pump of his BMW E36 Compact broke, while he was in third place at the time. In Roeselare, he won his very first race of his fledgling career, after a strong race in which he set good times and managed to keep drivers with more experience than him behind him. Michiel Seys, the son of Nikolaas Seys, is definitely a name to keep an eye on.
Your talent and progression make me genuinely happy, and no doubt many a rally fan, like me, is eager to follow you further!
But we’re not there yet, the following talents also definitely deserve your attention in the future!
In 2023, Thomas Carlier drove his first rally kilometers. The man from Bastogne was previously active in motocross, but surprisingly quickly made an impression in rallying. With the experienced Marc Sevrin at his side, he was able to crown himself the 2025 HBRC champion. That makes his achievement all the more remarkable, given that the 25-year-old Escort driver was competing on almost every course for the first time. To become Belgian champion with limited track knowledge and little rally experience is something that few are given. Thomas is without a doubt a name to keep an eye on.
Niels Schoenmakers, the 2024 Histo-Cup champion, did not appear often at the start of a rally race this year. But when he did show up, he immediately caught the attention of many rally enthusiasts. Three times he appeared at the start with his well-known Opel Manta B: two races he won convincingly, and in the third he was forced to retire after driving the entire rally in the lead in his class. He concluded his season with appearances in the BMW M3 E36 and the Opel Omega. And let me give you, dear readers, a tip: when Niels is at the start, it’s best to stay and watch for a while before heading to the next trial.
Scott Barnes has been a fixture in the FIRC since last season. The Briton only participated in the Omloop van Vlaanderen within the Belgian championship this year, but he has previously attracted the attention of several rally fans on the FIRC circuit. Together with his Peugeot 106, he usually delivers fast passages, although bad luck often played a role this season. Still, I look very rosy to his future; no doubt we will see many more great performances from Scott and his team!
And finally, there are a few names that should definitely be mentioned: Maxim Potty, who will contest the BRC championship in 2026 with the Alpine A110 Rallye GT+; Sébastien Bedoret; Valentin Dozot; and D2 champion Quentin Collignon, who informed us that he will compete in the BRC D1 championship next year anyway.
No doubt there are still names I have overlooked – feel free to leave them in the comments.
RallyRecap 2025 is dé ultieme samenvatting van het Belgisch Rally Kampioenschap 2025. In dit overzichtswerk komen maar liefst elf kampioenschappen uitgebreid aan bod. Zo behandelen we onder andere de BRC-manche (Rally2), het Junior BRC (JBRC), de BRC Trophy (Rally5), de Stellantis Cup, het Historisch Kampioenschap (HBRC), de Youngtimers, MCup, RGT, de Histo-Cup, de 2WD Trophy en het Divisie 2-kampioenschap.
The rally watchlist for 2026
For years now, together with a team of talented photographers, I have been closely following the Belgian Rally Championship. Every year we publish a physical BRC yearbook(RallyRecap) , with ten additional championships in addition to the Rally2 story, each with its own A4 page. From that experience, in this article I highlight the people who made the biggest impression on me this year.
Let’s start with the two riders who caught everyone’s eye this year.
Jos Verstappen dominated the championship and became the second foreigner in the last four years to call himself Belgian champion. In the field, I often hear comments that the level in Belgium is not that high anymore. Personally, I find that big nonsense; just take a good look at the last two foreigners who became champions. Stéphane Lefebvre is an impressive pilot, it is not easy to become a factory driver in the WRC. Every race the Frenchman takes part in, he is immediately among the favorites.
And then there is Verstappen. Even with him, you don’t just appear at the start of an F1 race 106 times. Whether you want to admit it or not, the Dutchman has talent, and talent does not perish. He proved that with his incredibly fast progression in rallying. In 2022, he was at the start of a rally race for the first time, in Haspengouw. Three years later, he crowned himself champion of Belgium – what an achievement!
And then Cédric Cherain, what a pilot! Give the man a steering wheel, a car and four wheels, and he gets everything out of it, as if he had never driven anything else. Years ago, decades even, he drove his way into my rallying heart. Meanwhile, I think he knows how to charm every rally fan in Belgium. I don’t need to spend many words on this; I am convinced that Cherain has caught everyone’s eye this year.
I hope from the bottom of my rallying heart that we will see both gentlemen in action often in Belgium.
Then we have our future – and what a future! For me, a handful of talents stood out head and shoulders above everyone else.
We begin with our junior champion, Lander Depotter. What did you show us this year! Lander not only dominated the junior championship and the Stellantis Cup, but also proved his class in a Rally2 car. And how! His first appearance with the Citroën C3 Rally2 was an instant hit: he finished third overall in Tielt. After that, the 22-year-old driver from Avelgem took victory in the RS of Lubbeek and put the finishing touches to the ‘i’ in the busy Kortrijk.
The ginger one, Thomas Martens, how much experience can a nineteen-year-old really have? Ever since he was eleven, he has been participating in rally races in Scandinavia. He gets excellent guidance and handles everything remarkably maturely and professionally. This season he drove to eighth place in the hotly contested JWRC and we saw him test-drive the Rally3 in Haspengouw, where he finished ninth overall.
During the East Belgian Rally, Thomas made his first meters in a Rally2 and cleverly put the orange Citroën in sixth place overall, among a dozen other, more experienced Rally2 drivers. Just over a month later, he took his very first overall victory in the same car at the RS Villersois. On top of that, he wrote his first two scratches in the BRC at the Spa rally.
Leny Cols dominated the BRC Trophy, leading the juniors for almost the entire season. Yet, sometimes to his own frustration, he could not compete against the more powerful Rally4 cars with his Renault Clio Rally5. Despite this, he did not let his head down and got everything out of the car that he could.
Like his father at the time, Leny was given the opportunity to participate in a promotional format to compete in the Monte-Carlo Rally. There he was introduced to a Rally3 car and set great times.
In addition to the full Belgian championship, the young driver chose to participate in the highly regarded French gravel championship. He made nice progress there, until disaster struck during the Rallye Terre des Cardabelles. There, the 21-year-old top talent went hard off the track, leaving him and his co-pilot with serious injuries.
Hope you recover quickly so we can see you back in action soon! Someone once told me that there are two types of rally drivers and navigators: those who have yet to crash, and those who have already crashed. Hereby you join the second category 🙂 .
Another top Belgian talent is Tom Heindrichs. The 21-year-old half-brother of Thierry Neuville is by now a familiar name in the Belgian rallying landscape. In his first season he finished second in the Stellantis Cup Belux, and the following year, last year, he crowned himself champion in the same cup. This season we only saw him in Belgium at the end of the year, in Spa, but internationally he put in strong performances. He dominated the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup and also collected 39 points in the European Rally Trophy. As a result, he will contest the ERC in 2026 in the Opel Corsa Rally4.
At Spa, he appeared at the start with the Citroën C3 Rally2 for the first time. And how! He almost finished the opening day in the lead, but had to let Cherain go ahead due to a flat tire on the very last stage. He also lost a place on the second day due to another flat tire. But what an impression he left behind: great times, even better passages and an even better result!
23-year-old Michiel Seys also caught our eye this season. This year he made the switch from the Opel Kadett C to the BMW E36 Compact. He drove his first competition kilometers with the BMW in Division 2 during the Ypres Rally, where he had to retire early because the fuel pump of his BMW E36 Compact broke, while he was in third place at the time. In Roeselare, he won his very first race of his fledgling career, after a strong race in which he set good times and managed to keep drivers with more experience than him behind him. Michiel Seys, the son of Nikolaas Seys, is definitely a name to keep an eye on.
Your talent and progression make me genuinely happy, and no doubt many a rally fan, like me, is eager to follow you further!
But we’re not there yet, the following talents also definitely deserve your attention in the future!
In 2023, Thomas Carlier drove his first rally kilometers. The man from Bastogne was previously active in motocross, but surprisingly quickly made an impression in rallying. With the experienced Marc Sevrin at his side, he was able to crown himself the 2025 HBRC champion. That makes his achievement all the more remarkable, given that the 25-year-old Escort driver was competing on almost every course for the first time. To become Belgian champion with limited track knowledge and little rally experience is something that few are given. Thomas is without a doubt a name to keep an eye on.
Niels Schoenmakers, the 2024 Histo-Cup champion, did not appear often at the start of a rally race this year. But when he did show up, he immediately caught the attention of many rally enthusiasts. Three times he appeared at the start with his well-known Opel Manta B: two races he won convincingly, and in the third he was forced to retire after driving the entire rally in the lead in his class. He concluded his season with appearances in the BMW M3 E36 and the Opel Omega. And let me give you, dear readers, a tip: when Niels is at the start, it’s best to stay and watch for a while before heading to the next trial.
Scott Barnes has been a fixture in the FIRC since last season. The Briton only participated in the Omloop van Vlaanderen within the Belgian championship this year, but he has previously attracted the attention of several rally fans on the FIRC circuit. Together with his Peugeot 106, he usually delivers fast passages, although bad luck often played a role this season. Still, I look very rosy to his future; no doubt we will see many more great performances from Scott and his team!
And finally, there are a few names that should definitely be mentioned: Maxim Potty, who will contest the BRC championship in 2026 with the Alpine A110 Rallye GT+; Sébastien Bedoret; Valentin Dozot; and D2 champion Quentin Collignon, who informed us that he will compete in the BRC D1 championship next year anyway.
No doubt there are still names I have overlooked – feel free to leave them in the comments.
RallyRecap 2025
RallyRecap 2025 is dé ultieme samenvatting van het Belgisch Rally Kampioenschap 2025. In dit overzichtswerk komen maar liefst elf kampioenschappen uitgebreid aan bod. Zo behandelen we onder andere de BRC-manche (Rally2), het Junior BRC (JBRC), de BRC Trophy (Rally5), de Stellantis Cup, het Historisch Kampioenschap (HBRC), de Youngtimers, MCup, RGT, de Histo-Cup, de 2WD Trophy en het Divisie 2-kampioenschap.
24 in stock