This weekend is not only a busy one for Max Verstappen; his father Jos has also donned his racing suit. Alongside co-driver Renaud Jamoul, he is participating in the two-day Spa Rally in Belgium. After the opening day on Saturday, the duo is in second place in the standings. The 52-year-old driver is satisfied and indicates that he is becoming a serious contender.
“When I first started rallying, I was far behind, but now we are competing for the prizes,” Jos Verstappen responded to Verstappen.com. “The competition is taking me into account, and that’s nice to experience.” The former Formula 1 driver had to concede to rival Cédric Cherain on Saturday. “It was dry, but very cold, which made some spots treacherous,” he explained.
On Friday evening, while Max Verstappen was qualifying for the sprint race in Qatar, Jos Verstappen was running his own qualifying trial. In the Skoda Fabia RS Rally 2, he and Renaud Jamoul secured second place. On Saturday, they completed four classification trials, namely Renouprez, Bruyères, Fays Show, and Wanne. Throughout the day, a total of eleven trials were on the schedule.
‘Felt Good’
In the first round, Jos Verstappen clocked the second-best time thrice and the third-best once. This placed him second overall, trailing Cédric Cherain by 16 seconds. “We started off calmly, but it went well,” said the Dutchman. “There was ice in some places. You have to be more cautious there, but perhaps we were too cautious. It didn’t feel wrong, but we did lose some time. Nevertheless, I am satisfied.”
In the second round, the tide turned. Jos Verstappen and Renaud Jamoul secured the top spot three times and came second once. This reduced their gap with Cherain to a mere 6.1 seconds. “It was very tricky, but it felt good,” Verstappen explained. “Where there was ice in the morning, there was a lot of mud and water now. We didn’t have a single hiccup. We were pushing the limit, but within reason.”
During the third and final round, only the first three trials were repeated. Verstappen clocked the third-best time, followed by two top times. After eleven classification trials, he remains in second place, trailing Cédric Cherain by 7.3 seconds. Five more trials will follow on Sunday before the final tally is made.
