Jos in P9 after first day of Legends Boucles 2026: 'I am happy with how it is going'

Published on 31 January 2026 by Kees-Jan Koster

Jos Verstappen finished the first day of the Legends Boucles 2026 in ninth place overall after an early setback. Together with his co-driver Renaud Jamoul, he started this historic event in Bastogne in his BMW M3 E30. The rally continues on Sunday. The event consists of thirteen special stages: eight on Saturday and the remaining five on Sunday.

The cars are divided into the categories ‘Legend’, ‘Challenger’, ‘Classic 65’, and ‘Classic 50’. By using a Balance of Performance coefficient system, the organizers ensure that a wide variety of vehicles can compete on an equal footing for victory.

The day began for the Verstappen-Jamoul crew with a ninth-fastest time on the opening stage, RT1 Les Eoliennes (23.6 km). After that stage, however, they received a 150-second penalty for exceeding the speed limit in a Slow Zone, dropping them to P53 overall.

The second stage, RT2 Livarchamps (12.01 km), was won by Jos ahead of Stéphane Lefebvre and Cédric Cherain, allowing him to make up many places in the overall classification. Jos commented afterward:

“It is different from what I am used to. The goal is to gain experience with this car and learn the stages here. I am happy with how it is going.”

On the third stage, RT3 Sainte-Ode (10.1 km), Jos finished P7, followed by P8 on the fourth stage, RT4 Les Maquisards.

On stages five through eight, the drivers ran the same routes again as in the first four stages. On RT5 Les Eoliennes, Jos finished ninth, while 2025 winner Cédric Cherain retired with a broken clutch.

Stage six of the day, RT6 Livarchamps, was won by Ghislain de Mevius, with Jos finishing P3, which moved him up to P12 overall. The seventh special stage, RT7 Sainte-Ode, brought the Limburg driver back into the top ten despite a P14 time at the end of the stage.

The final stage of the day was RT8 Les Maquisards, again won by de Mevius. Jos and co-driver Renaud finished thirteenth and ended the day ninth overall. After the first day, Stéphane Lefebvre holds a firm lead in the overall standings. The rally continues on Sunday with five stages still to run.