At the end of the 2000–01 season, the club was relegated to the second division and it subsequently changed its name from K.R.C.

The reason of the fusion was that Zuid-West-Vlaanderen went into liquidation after it was refused its license.

Racing Club Harelbeke was founded in 1930 and it registered the same year to the Belgian Football Association to become the matricule n°1615.

It appeared for the first time in the second division in 1978 and would eventually become a regular in that division, playing the final round four times before it won it in 1995.

Harelbeke achieved its best ranking with a 5th place in 1998 right behind Anderlecht.