Season’s Greetings!
The calm has returned to the Ostbelgien during the festive season with family and friends. Now that the Ostbelgien 2022 page is closed, it is time to recharge batteries…but also to warmly thank all the people who contributed to the resounding success of the event.
As I said during the official award ceremony, this third edition was without a doubt the most successful of all.
This means that the final of the FIA Historic Regularity Rally Trophy 2022 met the expectations of the international federation, but also of the crews, who have all praised the sporting character of the Ostbelgien Classic, and the seamless organisation of the event, as nothing was left up to chance.
Pilots and co-pilots were once again able to appreciate Joseph Lambert’s expertise and mastery. This 2022 year was clearly his, the fruit of his know-how and his incredible knowledge of our beautiful region. On the weekend of the event, Frank Frankenberg, Eric Chapa, Etienne Massillon and all the others were keen to live up to this legacy, seeing to it that Joseph’s work was in the spotlight more than ever.
Joseph Lambert’s presence at the finish was an emotional highlight. Let him rest assured that the event’s high standards will be upheld in the future…
The success of the Ostbelgien Classic is not the success of a small handful of people, however important they may be. It is based on the involvement of a team of volunteers, all of them passionate, who work hard to contribute to putting our region in the spotlight. Without them, nothing would be possible, and the comments, especially from the international crews, would probably not have been as complimentary. Thanks to all of them…
Lucien Letocart, who honoured the reputation of the region, and Baptiste Gengoux deserve all the congratulations for their superb victory, as well as Patrick Lambert and Yves Noelanders, who represented us with dignity at the prestigious prize-giving ceremony of the International Automobile Federation after having won the coveted title. Let us not forget the performance of our ‘U25’, Steven Lentz and Simon Treinen, 4th overall in the Classic, which is a great result. One of our missions is to allow young people to get their foot in the door in regularity events. And these young people have amazed the gallery. Congratulations to them… there will be surely more to come!
I would like to thank all the competitors. They were motivated, enthusiastic, and some were already very loyal to the event. That is very touching.
An event like the Ostbelgien Classic is based on a close cooperation with the geographical ‘communities’ it crosses. We would like to thank them for their trust in us. There were no serious incidents at the 2022 edition, which proves how professionally it was organised.
Now, all that’s left for me to do is to wish you a happy holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! Enjoy these moments with your family, which are becoming rarer and rarer in our fast-paced world. Back to basics for a couple of days.
See you soon in the Ostbelgien or elsewhere…
Michael