Jos Verstappen and co-driver Renaud Jamoul finished the East Belgian Rally in fourth place. The duo contested the round of the Belgian Rally Championship (BRC) in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. “It was slippery all day. I didn’t take too many risks because I realised quickly fourth was the best result realistically. That’s also because we made the wrong tyre choice. It was a challenging day.”

The East Belgian rally consists of four  timed stages that are each contested three times. Ahead of the event, Jos said: “The stages are difficult, although I know two stages from last year. Because you’re driving in the same region, it gives you a feel for it. That experience helps, but with Cherain, Potty and Reynvoet the competition is very strong. Everything has to go our way and it all starts with confidence. Our pace notes are good, and I work well with Renaud.”

The duo kicks off the rally with a second place on the opening stage. “It was tricky with a lot of slippery parts, especially braking into corners”, explains Jos who goes on to be fourth fastest on stages two and three, followed by P3 in the final stage of the opening loop. “We started well, but I don’t have the confidence to fully attack in these tricky conditions.”