Coupe de Belgique enters its third year: A weekend of driving pleasure prêt-à-rouler

 

The Grand Touring Company launches 21 April the third edition of the Coupe de Belgique, a ball-arrow competition that runs from 21 April to 21 September. With one roadbook in Flanders and one roadbook in Wallonia, organiser Nicolas Geerts seeks out the best roads. New since this year, addition of suggestions for hotels and sights on the spot. This way, the two roadbooks can be combined into a full weekend of riding pleasure prêt-à-rouler.

 

 

The Grand Touring Company positions itself as a provider of driving pleasure. The Coupe de Belgique rally package is a perfect example of this. Taking part guarantees exploring the country in a fun and relaxed way. Unlike other organisers, The Grand Touring Company wants to offer the opportunity to drive a road book en petit comité. "This way, you choose your moment yourself and therefore have more freedom and weather certainty. You leave, stop and arrive when you want, as casual riding pleasure should be."

 

Taking part in the Coupe de Belgique is easy and affordable. You can order a package for just €149 per crew via The Grand Touring Company's webshop. The package includes everything you need to set off: beautifully designed road books, answer sheets, a clear briefing, suggestions for accommodation, catering along the way and a rally plate. By the way, you don't have to have a specially adapted car to participate. The competition is open to all types of cars: from city car to camper van, from sports car to classic. As icing on the cake, you have a chance to win one of the prizes from a prize pool of €5,000.

 

Based on ball-arrow navigation instructions, you will be guided from start to finish, discovering a different corner and many a bend of the country each year. The first roadbook goes from Ypres to Cassel (FR) to finish in Menen. The second roadbook takes you from Tournai to Thuin, just below Charleroi. Again, two exceptionally beautiful regions. The competition is to pick up all the hints along the way by carefully following the roadbook. 

 

The Grand Touring Company wants to make the sport of rallying more accessible. 'All too often I drive rallies myself which, afterwards, because of being too easy, you think that maybe you should have stayed with your wife and child for a day. I want to lift the level a step higher, without you necessarily having to argue with your co-pilot (laughs). Only on the basis of a clear, correct and consistent roadbook can you incorporate traps.' speaks founder Nicolas Geerts. 'As our numbers are already doubling every year, this is clearly a formula that works. A nice extra is that we manage to attract a younger audience. You get the beautiful Belgian landscapes and sights along the way for free.'

 

In 2017, founder Nicolas Geerts undertook a 10-day road trip from Antwerp to Ljubljana on his Honda Monkey, just for fun. This experience laid the foundation for The Grand Touring Company which he started, in January 2020. He wrote 'Le Grand Tour de Belgique' and self-published this book. Meanwhile, he is diligently building on the road with The Grand Touring Company as a 'provider of driving pleasure'. So he organises rallies, writes and sells routes/roadbooks (customised) and even rents out a 1969 Alfa Romeo Giulia ('A delightfully sweet lump of driving pleasure' dixit NG).