scroll
Scroll downfor the latest news

Jos second after first day of Rallye des Wallonie: 'We keep pushing'

Published on 26 April 2025 by Misha van der Kroon

Jos Verstappen ended the first day of the Rallye des Wallonie in second place, 12.9 seconds behind Cédric Cherain, who set the pace in his Porsche 992 Rally GT. Together with co-driver Renaud Jamoul, 53-year-old Verstappen delivered a consistent performance in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 car, going fastest on four stages on Saturday. The duo is aiming for the Belgian Rally Championship (BRC) title this year, a championship they are currently leading.

“It went well today. I don't think there was more in it,” said Jos. “The car setup is good and we're on the limit, it doesn’t get much better than this. The circumstances on the stages are getting better as well, which is why we are getting faster,” he continued. “We’re just lacking some speed on the straights. There's nothing we can do about that, it’s just the way it is.”

Jos is referring to the difference in straight-line speed between his Skoda and Cherain’s Porsche, and explains: “The engine of the 992 is just too strong above 100 km/h. Cherain makes the difference on the straights, where he reaches top speed quicker. Our car also hits 197 km/h, but it just takes a bit longer to get there. Still, we keep pushing. Sunday is a long day and those stages have a bit more gravel, which might suit our Skoda better.”

Saturday featured eleven special stages: four different stages each driven three times, except for the last. Cherain was fastest on the first three stages of the day: Mohiville-Nettine (14.61km), Natoye (8.81km), and Crupet (11.33km). On the fourth stage, Wartet (6.39km), Jos clawed back two seconds, leaving him 8.1 seconds behind after the first round.

“We still had a lot of information from last year’s rally, and luckily not much has changed,” Jos shared. “Visibility was good on the first stages, but it was extremely slippery because of the dust. That made things tricky.”

The first three stages of the second round saw a similar story: Cherain ahead of Verstappen. As a result, Jos' gap grew to 17.3 seconds. On Wartet, however, Cherain made a mistake that cost him eight seconds, bringing Jos back to within 9.2 seconds after the second loop.

In the third and final loop, Cherain started with another stage win, but Jos managed to narrowly beat the Porsche on Natoye. Verstappen was also fastest on the final stage of the day, ending Saturday in second place, 12.9 seconds behind leader Cherain.

On Sunday, nine more stages are scheduled at the Rallye des Wallonie, bringing the total to twenty for the event.