Saturday-only racing now possible!



On Wednesday October 25, the Royal Automobile Club de Spa, organisers of the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne, held its first press conference with a view to the 2024 event. Continuing the review of partner towns, it was Neufchâteau that hosted this first media gathering, in the ideal and enchanting setting of the Brasserie Bô Rivage. It's an opportunity for Pierre Delettre and his team to take stock of the major innovations awaiting competitors on Friday 2, Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 February...

"As I said earlier, we make it a point of honour to respect the wishes of the competitors," begins Pierre Delettre. That's why, at the end of the rally, we give them a survey to help us take the temperature. It's worth pointing out that the general satisfaction rate is over 96%! That's why the technical and sporting regulations will change very little in 2024. We're continuing in the same vein, still allowing crews in the Classic 65 category to take part in reconnaissance, and 85% of them told us that this was a good decision...".

Nonetheless, the 2024 edition of the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne will see a major and completely new development: from now on, it will be possible to take part in only the first day of the event, i.e. Saturday's stage, focusing on the asphalt sections...
We've been thinking about it for some time, and now we're taking the plunge," continues Pierre Delettre. In fact, what makes the Legend Boucles so special is its extremely varied route, with special stages or regularity tests on asphalt on the first day, and so-called forest sections, sometimes with substantial sections on gravel, on the Sunday. This makes the event different from all the others... but it doesn't make the competitors' task any easier! Some of them have confirmed to us that they won't be taking part because they don't want to launch their cars onto the Sunday stages, which are bound to be rougher, even though we are working with the local authorities to ensure the quality of the surfaces on offer. From this 2024 edition, it will therefore be possible to enter only for the Saturday stage, with an adapted entry fee, whatever the category. While Ford Escorts and Porsche 911s are still the benchmark cars for the Legend Boucles, the possibility of racing only on asphalt should attract a more varied field of cars. We were asked to do it, so we decided to do it...".

From a practical point of view, and also at the request of the competitors, there will now only be two separate areas, one for stickering and administration and the other for technical matters. As for the briefing, it will now take the form of a video, to avoid everyone running around on Friday afternoon, in the wake of the reconnaissance.

Another problem we're trying to resolve as best we can is the setting up of the Friday night Parade," continues Pierre Delettre. Last February, some teams waited too long before being able to enter the main street of Bastogne for this great moment of exchange with the fans. From now on, we'll be calling the crews together in groups, and in the waiting area, there will be a food-truck so that everyone can have something to eat or drink. You learn from your mistakes, and that's the proof...".



Entries for the Legend Boucles @ Bastogne 2024 will open on Wednesday 1 November, again via the official website www.racspa.be.



So the final countdown has officially begun...