Legend Boucles @ Bastogne 2022 - Update on the latest innovations
Following a year of interruptions for the reasons we are all aware of, the saga of the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne will be back on track on Friday 4th, Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th February 2022. As was the case with previous editions, a first press conference – this time organised at Vaux-sur-Sûre, a commune partner – is on the books with a view to taking stock of the various matters that have evolved or will evolve. Once again there are numerous innovations …
11 different special stages in the Province of Luxembourg
It is now a vested fact: the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne will not be leaving the territory of the Province of Luxembourg. This will once again be the case in 2022, with two race days entirely different one from the other …
- Saturday 5th February: 5 special stages to be covered twice, with authorised recceing for all the categories, apart from the ‘Classic’.
- Sunday 6th February: 6 special stages in line, with a mixture of gravel and the woods, with recceing forbidden for everyone. There will in fact be strict controls in the forest, as per the previous editions.
In other words, a total of 16 special stages, the longest being made up of 22 kilometres. As such the organiser has decided to no longer offer the ‘marathon special’ as in the past, for questions of management.
Solely the TRIPY in charge of the timing
Following a more than positive experience for the sole ‘Classic’ category in 2020, TRIPY will now ensure the timing for all the categories in 2022. The system was already used in ‘Challenger’ and in ‘Legend’ for the tracking allowing to permanently follow the cars. A new milestone has been reached, and all the precautions have been taken to ensure perfect results. Let us not forget that TRIPY has become the timing system in many other prestigious events, such as the Tour Auto or the Dakar Classic! So many achievements that owe nothing to chance for the Belgian company …
Disappearance of the ‘Demo’ category
Allowing non-homologated machines due to the regulations of the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne to be included, the ‘Demo’ category enjoyed a varying success. During the last editions, a certain lack of discipline among unscrupulous competitors brought about problems, going so far as to unsettling the progress of certain top cars in the ‘Legend’ category. Consequently, the decision was taken to remove this ‘Demo’ category with a view to the 2022 edition. This implies that all the cars at the start will quite clearly be taking part in the competition.
‘Classic’: still no mandatory roll bar
No major changes to be reported in the regulations of the ‘Classic’ category, where the averages will still be 60 and 50 km/h.
This implies that the fitting of a roll bar is still not mandatory, even in the 60 km/h category, but strongly recommended by the organisers.
Please note: for the 2023 edition of the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne, the fitting of a roll bar will be mandatory for the 60 km/h category, which in fact will become 65 km/h.
‘Challenger’: RAS!
Not the slightest change for the ‘Challenger’ category, where the average speed remains under 80 km/h.
‘Legend’: The four-wheel-drive machines up until 31/12/1990 are accepted.
If on the one hand there are no changes to be reported in the first four Divisions of the ‘Legend’ category, the Division 5 is evolving.
As a reminder, this Division 5 brought together the two-wheel-drive cars of the Annexe J2 of the FIA, in other words cars built between 01/01/1987 and 31/12/1990. The coefficient of these cars (two-wheel-drive BMW M3 E30, Ford Sierra Cosworth, etc.) move from 1,2 to 1,15! This with a view to allowing teams who opt to choose for this type of vehicle to aim for a place in the overall 5 of the ‘Legend’ category. This evolution of the coefficient was calculated based on the times achieved in 2020 by the Frenchman Nicolas Ciamin, at the wheel of a BMW M3 E30 Gr.A.
For the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne 2022, this Division 5 will also welcome machines emanating from this same Annexe J2 of the FIA, but with four-wheel-drive! Those involved are the first edition of the Lancia Delta HF, the Mazda 323, the Subaru Legacy, etc. These cars will need to come to terms with a coefficient of 1,4.
Appearance of a ‘Youngtimers’ category!
Without a doubt THIS is the innovation of the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne 2022! Pushed into the ‘Demo’ category in the past, cars conforming to Annexe J of the FIA, built between 01/01/1991 and 31/12/2000, will be accepted in a new category christened ‘Youngtimers’.
These cars, with either two or four-wheel-drive, will be subject to the ‘Target Time’ regulations, and similar to the ‘Legend’ category. They will also use snow tyres and will not be penalised by any coefficient.
Which means that certain top ‘Youngtimers’ will be faster than the best ‘Legend’ machines. However, the basic philosophy of the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne 2022 is in no way altered. The ‘Legend’ category remains the event’s cream category, and as in previous years the communication will highlight the ‘Legend’ winners.
In a nutshell, more than ever the winners of the ‘Legend’ category will be considered to be the overall winners of the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne!
Clearly defined rankings exist for the ‘Classic’, ‘Challenger’ and now ‘Youngtimers’ categories.
Two types of cars will be assigned to this new ‘Youngtimers’ category:
- Cars of the ‘Legend’ category that have been heavily modified, and thus relate to ‘Prototypes’. Such cars as the Ford Escort ‘Millington’, but also the Audi Quattro A2 of the German John Thomas, which is in fact fitted with an engine from the Quattro S1! This basically implies that in this ‘Youngtimers’ category, all modifications are permitted, with the exception of a supercharged engine in lieu of an atmospheric engine bloc, or of an engine fitted with a different number of cylinders than the original version. As such no question of fitting a V8 Cosworth in a Ford Escort MK1 or MK2, even in ‘Youngtimers’!
- The true cars of the Annexe J of the FIA, produced between 01/01/1991 and 31/12/2000. Those notably involved are the Subaru Impreza 555 and WRC, all versions of the Lancia Delta Integrale, the three variants of the Toyota Celica, the Mitsubishi Lancer up to Evo6, the Mazda 323 GTR, the Ford Escort RS Cosworth, but also the popular two-wheel-drive machines such as the Opel Astra, Opel Corsa, the Renault Clio 1 and 2, the Citroën AX and Saxo, the Peugeot 106, and so forth.
Additionally worth noting that during the first edition of the Legend Boucles de Spa, the most recent cars were already 20 years old. With the arrival of the ‘Youngtimers’ category, the most recent cars will henceforth be 22 years old. As such the event’s basic philosophy has not been roughshod over!
In the ‘Youngtimers’ category the licence to compete in the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne 2022 is identical to that of the ‘Legend’ category.
Lastly, the starting order for Sunday’s legendary stage will combine ‘Legend’ and ‘Youngtimers’ – regardless of clearly defined rankings – for obvious safety reasons. This starting order will be set up based on the forecast of individual performances, in order to avoid faster cars catching up slower cars shortly after the start of a special stage.
Registrations open on 1st November!
It will be on Monday 1st November at 0.01hrs that entries can be registered for the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne 2022, and this via the event’s official website.