German Göttig rises to the challenge in the TER

Pieter Tsjoen and Steven Vergalle at the start, but not together

Three weeks before the race, entries are pouring in for the 60th edition of the ConXioN Omloop van Vlaanderen, to be held on 6 and 7 September. Entries are still open for just under a week, but the mark of 100 participants has already been well exceeded.

The last big name added to the list is Kris Princen, navigated by Bram Eelbode. Using his VW Polo GTI R5 from team BMA, the Limburger will be looking to confirm his victory from last year (with a Skoda Fabia) to cement his lead in the JobFIXers Belgian Rally Championship. He will no doubt have to take into account Sébastien Bedoret, Skoda Belgium's official driver. A few days ago he gave a demonstration of his abilities with the new Skoda Fabia R5 Evo in the Rally of Staden, on a course similar to that of the Omloop van Vlaanderen.

At least one other copy of the latest version of the popular Czech car will be in attendance, driven by the record holder in Roeselare (8 wins), Pieter Tsjoen. Pieter's former navigator Steven Vergalle is making his comeback in competition. But not as co-pilot. He will take the wheel of another Fabia R5.

The battle promises to be very exciting for overall victory and the same can be said of the battle in the Tour European Rally, as German Stefan Göttig, 2nd in the provisional standings just 7 points behind Luxembourger Steve Fernandes, will take on the challenge in West Flanders with his Skoda Fabia R5. He will be navigated by Michaela Alexy.

The only Belgian round of the Dutch Open Rally Championship will not be left behind, as the two main title contenders will be at the start. Thanks to Bob de Jong, leader in the championship and navigated by Bjorn Degandt, we can count on the presence of a Hyundai i20 R5. Second in the standings, Kevin van Deijne, guided by Hein Verschuuren, is aiming for his first win of the season with his Skoda Fabia R5.

About 20 Brits and 2 Japanese registered!

Thanks to strong promotional work across the Channel, the ConXioN Omloop van Vlaanderen has attracted many British participants for years. In 1990, Richard Burns demonstrated his young talent with a win in the Belgian round of the British Peugeot 205 GTi Cup. Nowadays, it is mostly gentlemen drivers who are active in the British competitions 'Stage Masters' and 'Mini Sport Club'. But, they are fiercely contested competitions and the battle is spectacular. By the way, for the first time this year, a Japanese team with a Mini Cooper Mk1 is participating in this Mini "Cup". Yoshinao Tsuchiya, the driver, has only driven the Manx Rally Historic outside his native Japan.

Two other Britons, Vince Bristow (Escort Mk1) and Tim Metcalfe (Escort RS1800) are aiming to make their mark in the TER Historic. The latter could well become the main rival of German Heinz-Walter Schewe, the competition leader with his Belgian co-pilot Frank Blondeel. Phil Foster, by the way, with his Ford Anglia will try to keep Pierre Jamin and René Beyers from victory in the smallest class of the Historic BRC. Indeed, the crew of the original Daf 66 is in the Top 5 of the Championship and in the lead in class HC1.

So it will be an exciting battle at all levels in this 60th edition of the ConXioN Omloop van Vlaanderen on 6 and 7 September. As a reminder, entries are still open until 28 August.

More info on the website www.omloopvanvlaanderen.be.

(Introfoto by Loïc Nautet)