De Ridder now targets Supercar

Guillaume de Ridder secured the title in the Supercar Lites category of RallyX Nordic last weekend. After winning the first three rounds of the Scandinavian championship, the Belgian had a significant lead which allowed him to aim for the title even though he was not due to compete the entire season.

“It was a good way to prepare for my RX2 program. I didn't expect more, confirmed Guillaume de Ridder to AUTOweekly. I found myself scoring the maximum 30 points in Höljes and Arvika and it was almost the same in Grenland. It was all the more impressive during the first round because there were a large number of entrants who knew the track well. »

An error by his spotter in Nysum (Denmark) forgetting to call him by the joker lap while he was still leading the debates and a contact in Kouvola (Finland) reduced his lead, but Guillaume de Ridder was still able to ensure the coronation even before the semi-finals of Tierp (Sweden).

“The track was already very degraded during the first qualifying round and I rode keeping it under my feet because I had to stay on track. I was still able to set the second time, he explained. That didn't stop me from having a puncture in Q2, but the results were still sufficient. There were quite a few entrants with 24 participants in this event, which complicated things a little. »

Guillaume de Ridder will end his season with the RX2 final in Cape Town (South Africa). The Belgian still has title chances but they are slim with 14 points behind his teammate Oliver Eriksson.

“There is always hope, but I am focused on winning there because it will be very difficult. He would have to miss his weekend completely, but with few participants, he will almost be guaranteed to be in the semi-finals, he said. I clearly lost my chances at the start of the season when I suffered from my mechanical problems during the first two rounds at Mettet (Belgium) and Silverstone (Great Britain). Conversely, he has had quite a bit of success. But that's what you need to have to win the title and it's up to me to make the difference on the track. »

Guillaume de Ridder still does not know what his program will be for the 2019 season even if he would now like to enter Supercar after having evolved for two seasons in RX2.

“That would be the goal because I think I now know the limits of Supercar Lites, he admitted. However, the situation is very complicated with the teams entered in the premier category since the E-WRX was postponed for one year. While I understand the reasons for this delay, it has caused complications because the teams are uncertain about the intention of the manufacturers from whom they receive support because the brands do not yet know what they are going to do. »

The last RX2 event will take place on the weekend of November 24 at the Killarney International Raceway where he took 5th place in the final.