6 Uren Van Kortrijk Rally 2024 Report

Scott Barnes and Andy Hall had a heart-breaking end to the season when their Peugeot 106 Rallye got stuck in gear early on in the recent Kortrijk Rally after a promising start.

The 6 Uren Van Kortrijk took place on the 16th and 17th of November. The event was the final round of the Flanders International Rally Challenge, and Scott and Andy needed to win the round to secure second overall in the series.

The weekend started with the recce where Scott and Andy had lots of work to do after making their pacenotes from previous years onboard videos. One of the stages was completely new for this year, so extra effort was required to try and take advantage against the locals. A brief pause took place at lunchtime when the crews attended signing on and scrutineering, as well as the official start in the centre of the Flemish city of Kortrijk.

Following completion of the recce the team returned to the service park, fitted the lamp pod and prepared the 106 Rallye for the first stage.

The action started on Saturday night with a run around the spectator stage, Lavano, held at a recycling centre but also using nearby closed roads. 

As the team got closer to the stage it was clear that a massive amount of spectators were present. Scott and Andy couldn’t believe the constant stream of rally fans pouring into the stage. They pulled onto the start line and had a front row seat to what looked like whacky races, with three laps around the centre meaning the teams may meet other rally cars in the stage. It is estimated that around 7,000 spectators attended the stage, which accompanied by a live DJ and traditional Belgian bar on site, made for an incredible atmosphere. With excitement peaking Scott and Andy launched into the stage.

The team had a very clear run through on the super slick surface, despite managing to plunge into darkness after catching the light stalk for the second time this year. They cleared the stage and set a fantastic time which was 24th fastest overall. This put them into second in class behind local driver Kim Bauwens. In the FIRC standings, Scott and Andy were top of the lot, with championship rivals Gawaine and Lois Clark sitting in second. The time was even good enough to beat Flanders rallying legend Paul Lietar. The crew then headed back to service for a quick checkover before the car was left in parc ferme overnight.

Onto Sunday and the roads were very damp following overnight rain. Pirelli wet tyres were bolted on to the Peugeot and the team headed out for the first loop of 4 stages feeling confident.

The first stage, De Katte, was wet and muddy, with dirt being pulled out from the cuts. A really tricky little stage but Scott and Andy showed great commitment and set another strong time, only 0.6 seconds behind local team and class leaders Bauwens/Pauwels. Barnes and Hall again extended their lead in the FIRC and retained 24th in the overall standings.

The next stage, Rollegem, was the longest of the rally at 12.1km. The stage was very high speed, coupled with some extremely difficult slippery cuts. Another clean run through meant that everything was going to plan. The crew had kept in touch in the event class battle, and were cementing their place at the top of the FIRC standings.

Unfortunately the teams luck would then change. Following the second stage of the loop, SS3, the team headed for re-group. Whilst leaving re-group on the road section, the car got  stuck in 1st gear. Scott and Andy stopped to try to diagnose and carry out roadside repairs, but the external linkage/mechanism all seemed to be mounted correctly. The crew tried to limp the car back to service, able to change gear briefly but then got stuck in 3rd gear. The car was nursed back to service where the team jumped straight on it to see if the issue could be resolved to get back out for the following loop of stages.

After a quick diagnosis it became apparent that the issue was internal and would require parts that were not carried at the event, therefore the sad decision was made to retire the car.

Unfortunately this retirement meant that the team dropped down to third overall in the Flanders International Rally Challenge, still a fantastic result giving their lack of experience.

The team packed up and loaded the car onto the trailer, and decided to make the best of a bad situation, going out to spectate in the afternoon and enjoying a Belgian beer.

Scott adds “Of course this wasn’t the way we wanted to finish the year. However 3rd overall in the FIRC on our first attempt is a great achievement. It wouldn’t have been possible without my partners and sponsors this year, so a huge thanks to them. Now however the hunger to do better is stronger than ever, and next year we hope to come back more reliable, and maybe with a touch more pace.”

Planning for next year is already underway, and we hope to be making some announcements in the near future across our social channels, so keep an eye on them in the coming weeks.

A tough end to the season, but Scott and Andy have shown that they have the pace to be well in the fight at the top of the championship, exciting times lie ahead.