On Friday 3 and Saturday 4 October, the 21st edition of the Belgian Westhoek Classic will take place – the most authentic regularity rally. Over the past weeks, the organizers have worked hard to finalize the route between Ronse, Bruges and Ronse.

With exactly three weeks to go before the start of the event, route setters Bjorn & Jens Vanoverschelde are eager to present the outline of the 2025 course: “In total, 21 challenges are on the menu, divided over 14 regularity tests, 3 navigation tests and 4 driving tests. This edition will go down as one where driving pleasure is more than guaranteed. The driving tests are a lot smoother compared to last year. Adding to that the gravel stages scheduled for Saturday morning and the 2 tests in the forests of the Bruges Ommeland on Friday evening in the dark, we don’t need to tell you that the drivers will be in for a treat.”

On Friday evening, no less than 6 regularity tests and 1 driving test are scheduled. From Ronse, the route heads via 2 RTs to the first driving test, laid out on a terrain that was already visited last year, albeit in a completely different version. After the driving test, the rhythm will pick up with 4 consecutive RTs in quick succession. The difficulty has again been balanced in such a way that everyone should reach Bruges, this year’s stage town, without major delays. The pace and character of the roads – in particular the two closing RTs in the forests of the Bruges Ommeland – will establish a first hierarchy in the standings.

The start on Friday evening from the Grand Place in Ronse will be given half an hour earlier than last year. “We want to secure the future of the evening leg. By starting at 18:30 (instead of 19:00), the last competitor will finish the last RT around 22:30. Even though we try to avoid residential areas as much as possible when mapping out the route, this will help us reduce disturbance for residents along the way. On top of that, it’s nicer for the higher start numbers, as they’ll be able to join the HQ hotel a bit earlier and enjoy the atmosphere. The sporting challenge remains intact, since darkness falls earlier in early October compared to mid-September, the traditional date of the Belgian Westhoek Classic. Only advantages!”

A spectacular Saturday morning loop

Saturday morning brings the highlight of the rally: “The official start will take place on the grounds of ProMove, which we have rented exclusively for the occasion. The start park and the official start of the second leg will be held there. Immediately after the start follows the RallySchool Driving Test, with a double run. In short: the crowd-pleaser of the event, free to the public! From there, we head straight to the gravel roads in the Netherlands! We have designed 4 RTs and 1 navigation test, each featuring a large portion of gravel roads in perfect condition – pure driving pleasure for the pilots. A morning stage with a capital M!”

On Saturday afternoon, the traditional marathon stage awaits. “When designing this leg, we aimed to create as varied a stage as possible. After lunch, the navigators will immediately get to work with 2 navigation tests! One navigation test on Dutch territory and a second (long) navigation test of 43 km… Two easy RTs will then take us towards Roeselare, where we will hold a short regroup. After the regroup comes the grand finale: a spectacular driving test on a track once used in the TBR Rally, a regional speed rally, followed by two regularity tests…”

You read that right: all the ingredients are there once again to make it an exciting edition.

For those not competing but wishing to attend, we recommend keeping a close eye on our social media channels and website. One week before the event we will publish the spectator points and more information about the driving tests, all of which are free to access.