Circuit des Ardennes notes

Motorsport News International CIRCUIT DES ARDENNES

Patrick HAYOT Thus April 02 1997

CIRCUIT des ARDENNES: Notes

Thats events throught this 47th Circuit des Ardennes, we waited normaly logical scratch and groups winners but every time, it was surprise.

Friday night, Snijers (Ford Escort WRC), without opposition, was came back in Dinant in authoritarian leader. He was hahead of a performant De Jong (Ford Escort Cosworth) directly followed up Bernard Munster. This one doesn't find all his feeling but he prouved that he hasn't nothing loosted of his combativity and this in spite of his Spa accident's after-effects.

After this trio, Verhoestraete is in struggle with Chris Van Woensel. He is one more time more fast as Kurt Heckters. But Kurt, finding not all feeling and potential of his Mitsubishi, wait and come more and more experiminted and fast too while Dumoulin brooked his shok absorber and finish this first round 6th place.

Saturday, Snijers was directly the best. But in the 14th stage, his engine was out ! In fact , just after the finish line, he cutted the "bang-bang system" and the motor brooked. And we were again surprised by the abandon of Jean-Pierre Vandewauver. During all his participation with his Peugeot 106, "Vande" had only one more time abandoned. For his last race with this one, he had quitted the rally cause a transmission problem.

In gr. N, Heckters was the new leader but just on start in the Foy-Notre-Dame stage, he, too, broke his rear differential. He lost the lead, 20 minutes and all chances of victory. Revenge at Jalhay!

All this was beneficial for De Jong, first Dutch winner at Dinant. Second, Vtraete make a very good operation for the championship while Stacey, third, make too the same but for his Dutch International Championship.