Wydaeghe warmed up in the driver’s seat earlier this year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed event in England, but now his first real competition lies ahead. Wydaeghe will drive a Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car in the Pays Vencois Rally.
“After shaking things down at Goodwood earlier this year and last week’s win in Saudi Arabia, now it’s time to switch seats,” Wydaeghe commented on social media.
“Next week I’ll team up with Florian Haut-Labourdatte the Rallye du Pays Vençois, this time behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 N Rally2. Can’t wait for this challenge!”
Wydaeghe has chosen a genuine professional as his co-driver for his first rally, as Haut-Labourdette is known from Neuville’s safety car group in asphalt rallies. The French co-driver has, during his career, called pace notes for Pierre-Louis Loubet and Jean-Baptiste Franceschi, both familiar from the World Rally Championship.
The Rallye Regional du Pays Vencais will be held in the French Alps near the town of La Gaude. The schedule includes a total of nine special stages, with a combined distance of around 41 kilometres. A total of 71 driver–co-driver crews have entered.
