More entrants than in 2019… 6 months before the event!
All indicators are green for Michael Bartholemy and the Ostbelgien Classic team. The 2020 edition, scheduled for Friday 4th, Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th December, is under the best of auspices and the route designed by Joseph Lambert and Eric Chapa will doubtlessly delight lovers of eastern Belgian landscapes. In terms of sport, quality will certainly be the order of the day given that the organisers are already announcing … 10 RTs on closed ground – EMA track type – in three days! That’s in addition to the traditional regularity sections, of course!
Another great satisfaction: the Ostbelgien Classic ‘Light’ category is off to a great start! This allows teams less experienced with the subtleties of regularity racing to enjoy themselves to the fullest. So much so that at the end of June, 55% of registered contestants chose the ‘Light’ option, compared to 45% for the traditional ‘Classic’ category. It’s therefore appropriate to speak of a smart decision, which is the result of the constructive debriefing of the 2019 edition.
Let’s talk about the participants! Six months before the start of the 2020 Ostbelgien Classic, there are already… more than during the inaugural event! “This is very gratifying and proof that we are listening to our contestants”comments Michael Bartholemy. “In the ‘Classic’ race, the leading teams of the regularity class are signing up one after the other, and the winners of the first edition, Daniel Reuter and Robert Vandevorst, have just entered the race. One thing is already certain: they’re going to face some tough competition next December! Looking at the provisional list brings nothing but joy, with, as announced, the famous Bentley Speed Six of Jean and Caroline Vincent, but there are also other lovely surprises to be expected. This is a huge vote of trust, and a great recognition of the quality of our organisation, which aims above all to honour the Eastern cantons! We are also delighted to welcome our two adventurers, Philippe and Michel Denis, with their superb and sturdy Citroën Traction!”.
As to the candidates for victory, it has been said, the first names registered are well known. Apart from the Reuter-Vandevorst duo, who won last year with their Porsche 944 S2, we can already see Dirk Van Rompuy and Eddy Smeets (Porsche 914/6), Tony Kevers and Didier Gathy (Porsche 911), Yves and Benoît Deflandre (Porsche 911), Guy Lenglaert and Philippe Pirot (Peugeot 104 ZS), Christophe Berteloot and Baptiste Gengoux (Porsche 911 SC), Jean-Jacques Martens and Aswin Pyck (Volvo PV544), etc. Here is a basic, obviously provisional, list which says a lot about the quality of the line-up expected for the next St. Nicholas’ Day weekend.
In the ‘Light’ category, we can already reveal the names of Iveta Pecinova, Best Lady at the end of the 2019 edition, and Yves Chantraine in a Mercedes 190 2.3 16S, as well as André and Malte Lührmann, 13th overall last year, in a Porsche 964.
As good news call for more good news, at the end of this very tricky period characterised by Covid-19 related restrictions, Michael Bartholemy has decided to make a gesture of sympathy and solidarity towards the contestants.
“We are indeed going to extend the preferential rate applicable until 1st July until the Belgian National Day, that is to say an extension of 21 days”, the Eupener proudly announces. “This should encourage other teams to join us in the coming weeks. This means that we will probably be sold out well before the December deadline. Spread the word…”
There’s no doubt, the atmosphere is already guaranteed to be great on Eupen’s Klötzerbahn, focal point of the 2020 Ostbelgien Classic on 4th, 5th and 6th of December! In this very special year, we can even call it an end-of-year automobile fireworks display…