Ypres Rally (J) - 25-27 Jun 15

ERC Ypres Rally preview

Posted: June 26, 2015 7:06 AM

This year's Kenotek by CID LINES Ypres Rally has received a magnificent 80-car entry, with over half ' 44 cars ' coming from the 2015 FIA European Rally Championship.

There are an incredible 21 four-wheel-drive ERC1 R5/Super 2000 cars on the entry list: five Citroen DS3 R5s, five SKODA Fabia S2000s, four Peugeot 208 T16s, three Ford Fiesta R5s, two Fiesta RRCs, a Fiesta S2000 and, making its ERC debut in the hands of nine-time Ypres Rally winner Freddy Loix, a SKODA Fabia R5. The ERC Junior championship will also be hotly contested, with 16 young drivers out to prove their speed on one of the most famous and technically challenging European rallies.

This year's Ypres Rally follows a traditional and much-loved two-day format, with competition taking place over 17 special stages (nine different) on the fast and flat asphalt roads in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The compact route sees a 50-50 liaison-stage kilometre split, while the start, finish and service area is based in Grote Markt in the heart of Ypres ' one of the most atmospheric and fan-friendly service areas in the sport.

The action gets underway at 20h15 on Thursday 25 June, when all ERC-registered crews will take part in Qualifying, run over a 4,79 kilometre stage near the village of Nieuwkerke. Friday (26 June) will include the start order selection, where the fastest 15 drivers from Qualifying pick their starting position with the fastest choosing first. The rally starts at 16h15 followed by four stages covering 48,07 kilometres before a 30-minute service in Ypres at 19h25, and then another three stages covering 35,51 kilometres before a 45-minute flexi-service to end leg one after a total of 83,58 kilometres. Leg two on Saturday (27 June) starts at 10h20 and features 10 stages (totalling 169,8kms) taking place over a gruelling 10 hours of non-stop action ' including two runs over Hollebeke (SS12 and 17) which, at 23,23 kilometres, is the longest test of the event. There are three 30-minute visits to the service area at 13h48, 16h32 and 19h55, before the finish ceremony at Grote Markt at 22h30.

Route changes spice up Ypres for 2015

There are some interesting changes to the route of this year's Kenotek by CID LINES Ypres Rally, namely:

* Langemark (SS1): run as the opening stage this year and features the return of the famous roundabout section.
* Wijtschate (SS3/6): shorter version, with changes to the last part of the stage.
* Watou (SS9/14): most of the stage is new. Part was used last year, but in the opposite direction.
* Westouter-Boeschepe (SS10/15): the stage starts in Belgium and ends in France. The last 10 kilometres in France is very technical and was last used on the Ypres Rally 48 years ago. As French safety legislation is very different to the Belgian rules, spectators will only be allowed in secured public areas.
* Kemmelberg (SS11/16): second part of the stage is new. The famous Monteberg hillclimb will be run in a downhill direction.

Breen aims to extend ERC and ERC Asphalt Masters lead in Ypres Craig Breen will have title aspirations in mind when he contests the Kenotek by CID LINES Ypres Rally. Having won three ERC events in a row, the on-form Peugeot Rally Academy 208 T16 driver arrives in Belgium with a 14-point advantage over second-placed Kajetan Kajetanowicz, and Breen will have a great chance to extend that gap as Ypres was never part of Kajetanowicz's plans for 2015. There are plenty of other drivers capable of stealing ERC points off him, as the event has received another magnificent entry. There are four Peugeot 208 T16s on the lists (in addition to Breen there is Bruno Magalhaes, ERC Junior champion Stephane Lefebvre and 2005 Ypres winner Kris Princen), five Citroen DS3 R5s (driven by Kevin Abbring, Bryan Bouffier, Cedric Cherain, Vincent Verschueren and Florent Honney) and five SKODA Fabia S2000s (Jaroslav Orsak, Petter Kristiansen, Anton'n Tlustak, Jarom'r Tarabus and Martin McCormack). Ford hasn't won the Ypres Rally since Patrick Snijers (Escort Cosworth) in 1994, and the Blue Oval's hopes this year lie with Sam and Josh Moffett (Fiesta RRCs), Euan Thorburn (Fiesta S2000) and Didier Duquesne, Davy Vanneste and Bernd Casier (Fiesta R5s). But the man who will start as favourite will be Freddy Loix. He has won the event nine times, and is giving the all-new SKODA Fabia R5 its ERC debut.

Drivers unite as Abbring teams up with former Ypres winner Tsjoen Kevin Abbring will have a navigator better known for his driving skills reading the pace notes in Ypres this year, when 2001 event winner and eight-time Belgian rally champion Pieter Tsjoen shares his privately-entered Citroen DS3 R5. Tsjoen is no stranger to the co-driver's seat and navigated for St'phane Lefebvre on the Rallye de Wallonie earlier this year. It's entirely possible that Tsjoen could add another Ypres victory to his long list of accolades ' Hyundai WRC test driver Abbring was the star of last year's event, leading from the start and recording nine fastest stage times before mechanical problems forced his retirement on SS13. On his first Ypres Rally in a four-wheel-drive car, Abbring received the prestigious Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy. Meanwhile, Lefebvre will be back with regular co-driver St'phane Prevot in Ypres.

Baby boom gives Stajf golden opportunity to extend ERC2 lead Vojtech Stajf will have a great opportunity to extend his slender four-point ERC2 lead as nearest rival David Botka misses the Ypres Rally ' with co-driver Peter Mihalik set to become a father over the same weekend! Having successfully contested his first-ever gravel rally in the Azores, Stajf will be happy to be back on Tarmac as he pushes for maximum points in his Subaru Duck Czech National Team Impreza WRX STI. However, with one rapid Hungarian driver missing, the Czech driver will have another snapping at his heels. Tibor Erdi finished third in last year's ERC Production Car Cup standings and makes his second ERC2 start of 2015 in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

Bergkvist leads magnificent 16-car ERC Junior field to Belgium Series leader Emil Bergkvist heads a big 16 ERC Junior driver entry on the Kenotek by CID LINES Ypres Rally. In a pre-event test the on-form Swedish driver, who turned 21 on Wednesday, won his class and finished fourth overall on the recent Rally van Wervik, and the power of his Adam R2 will suit the fast West Flanders roads. There are a number of other Adams that will be a huge threat, namely Bergkvist's ADAC Opel Rallye Junior team-mate Marijan Griebel, fellow German Julius Tannert, who currently leads the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup and is starting his first Ypres Rally, and hard-charging Pole Aleks Zawada. Opel scored a one-two on the previous Tarmac round in Ireland and is expected to be very strong again, although it is Peugeot that once again has the biggest representation with 11 208s on the starting list. They are led by Chris Ingram ' currently second at the midway point in the Michelin-supported ERC Junior championship ' who is hoping for wet conditions so he can capitalise on the car's superb chassis. The Englishman makes his third Ypres Rally start and, having scored his first win on SATA Rallye Acores, plans to be 'absolutely flat-out from the first corner' and try to lead from the front. Portugal's Diogo Gago scored a career-best second-place finish in the Azores and makes his Ypres Rally debut full of confidence in his Peugeot Rally Academy R2, while Sport Racing Technologies team-mates Ralfs Sirmacis and Vasily Gryazin are always ones to watch in their 208s. Ypres' smooth and fast roads are a lot different to the bumpy Irish lanes Jon Armstrong is used to, but he'll be keen to put his Tarmac experience to good use. Two recent asphalt rounds of the Polish rally championship may prove good preparation for Lukasz Pieniazek, while Napoca Rally Academy's Florin Tincescu has plenty of Romanian asphalt experience too and Belgium's Gino Bux will be hoping to end his run of bad luck in his Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg 208. Hungarian teenager Krist'f Klausz returns in his 208 as does the flamboyant Swede, Mattias Adielsson. ERC Junior newcomers Joachim Wageman and Amaury Molle add local spice in their 208 and Ford Fiesta R2.

Ogryzek returns to improve ERC3 position

Sławomir Ogryzek won the ERC3 class by over four minutes in Austria, taking his Rallytechnology-run Peugeot 208 R2 to an incredible 11th overall on the opening round ' and now the Polish driver returns, aiming to improve on his current fifth position in the standings. The battle for ERC3 honours outside the ERC Junior category in Belgium will be a good one, as Rok Turk also returns. He'll be driving a 208 R2 but recently scored a sensational victory on the FUCHS Saturnus Rally Velenje, a round of his home Slovenian national championship, on his first event in a Peugeot 206 T16. Hungary's Szabolcs V'rkonyi makes it three 208s in this class, while defending ERC Ladies' Trophy champion Ekaterina Stratieva brings her Citro'n C2 R2 from Bulgaria having enjoyed a good run on the recent Danube Delta Rally ' in which she set the best class time and the second best two-wheel-drive time overall on the event's only Tarmac stage. The local challenge comes from ERC newcomer Polle Geusens, driving a Fiesta R2.

Superstar quartet turn out for FIA R-GT Cup

A quartet of motorsport superstars will contest the FIA R-GT Cup category on the Ypres Rally including two former event winners ' Patrick Snijers, who won the rally four years in a row (1991-94), and Marc Duez, who won in 1982. They'll be up against rally legend Fran'ois Delecour and one of motorsport's most versatile drivers, Romain Dumas, who was part of the Le Mans 24 Hours-winning Porsche team. All four will drive Porsches ' three aboard a 911 GTS and Snijers in a 997 GTS.

ERC privateer prize fund reaches 110,000 Euros ' and counting

ERC promoter Eurosport Events has already given away 110,000 Euros in its lucrative privateer prize fund this year, and another 20,000 Euros will be up for grabs in Ypres. A total of 20,000 Euros was awarded at the opening Internationale J'nnerrallye powered by GaGa Energy in Austria, at Rally Liepaja in Latvia and at the Discover Northern Ireland Circuit of Ireland Rally, while 50,000 Euros was awarded to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the SATA Rallye Acores. The top seven privateer drivers will be presented with cheques at the finish in Belgium, ensuring a drop of the famous local beer will be on them! To be eligible for ERC privateer prize money drivers must register for the ERC, receive no manufacturer support*, use tyres from one of the three ERC partner companies (Michelin, Pirelli and Yokohama) and not compete in a Regional Rally Car.
*Eurosport Events will determine privateer status in consultation with the manufacturer in question.

What is Kenotek by CID Lines'

Kenotek by CID LINES is the new title sponsor of the Ypres Rally, with a three-year agreement starting this year. But what is it' Under the brand name Kenotek, CID LINES developed a state-of-the-art range of innovative products for the maintenance and care of vehicles. Kenotek is the market leader in Belgium with a range focused on all companies that are in one way or another involved in Vehicle Care, car washes, truck washes and garages through to workshops for vehicles and machinery.

Q&A: Freddy Loix

Freddy Loix has won the Ypres Rally nine times. This year, 'Fast Freddy' is attempting to make it win number 10, while giving the SKODA Fabia R5 its FIA European Rally Championship debut.

How confident are you of making it win number 10 in Ypres against such tough competition?
'I'm not somebody that will say that I will win the Ypres Rally because it's a long rally and there are a lot of very good pilots at the start. But of course, I will not deny that my target is to win.'

How competitive do you think the new SKODA Fabia R5 will be on the fast and technical Ypres stages?
'I think the SKODA Fabia R5 will be very competitive on the Ypres stages, but it's up to me to adapt myself to the new car ' which I will certainly have to do well when I drive at over 170kph.'

It's a new car, but how well do you know the Fabia R5?
'I have already done thousands of kilometres with the car, so I think I know it pretty well!'

Having helped to develop the Fabia R5, what other ERC events do you think the car would do well on? 'For sure the fast rallies, Barum and that sort of rally, will suit the Fabia R5 very well, but I'm pretty sure that the car will be good and competitive on all ERC events.'

Will the Fabia R5 be run by SKODA Motorsport or another team ' as in 2014, when Bernard Munster ran your winning Fabia S2000?
'My winning team BMA will run my car in Ypres again this year.'

What makes Ypres so special and what makes you come back each year?
'Ypres is the most important rally in Belgium, the best organised and it is also a round of the Belgian rally championship. And of course, there is a good after-party!'

What advice can you give to the ERC Junior drivers, especially the ones contesting Ypres for the first time?
'My advice for the ERC Junior drivers would be to look very closely where, and how, to cut the corners.'

FIVE KENOTEK BY CID LINES YPRES RALLY FACTS

* History was made on last year's Ypres Rally when ERC Junior drivers Andrea Crugnola and Stephane Lefebvre finished the event tied on time after a final-stage showdown.
Lefebvre took the win due to the fact he was fastest in class on the opening stage.
* Belgian legend Freddy Loix, meanwhile, remains the man to beat outright on the Ypres Rally. The 44-year-old achieved a record ninth overall victory on last year's event in a SKODA Fabia S2000 shared with Johan Gitsels.
* Founded in 1965 by Frans Thevelin, the Ypres Rally has hosted other famous winners including Walter Rohrl (1976, Opel Kadett), Henri Toivonen (1984, Porsche 911), Jimmy McRae (1987, Ford Sierra RS Cosworth) and current Citroen WRC driver Kris Meeke (2009, Peugeot 207 S2000).
* Loix started his winning streak in 1996 aboard a Toyota Celica GT-Four and notched up four victories in a row, but didn't win again until 2008 in another Peugeot 207.
* Besides the rally, last year Ypres had the honour of hosting the start of stage five in the 101st Tour de France, won by Italian cyclist Vincenzo Nibali.

ON THIS EVENT IN 2014'
On the event's 50th anniversary, local hero Freddy Loix won the Ypres Rally for the ninth time. Co-driven by Johan Gitsels, he took his SKODA Fabia S2000 to a 1m09.9s victory over Cedric Cherain (Ford Fiesta R5), who in turn celebrated his first ERC podium finish.
It was far from the start-to-finish win Loix enjoyed in 2013. Starting Saturday's final leg, he trailed Kevin Abbring by 24.8 seconds but moved in front when the Dutchman retired his Peugeot 208T16 with mechanical problems. Sepp Wiegand finished as best Ypres rookie in third for SKODA AUTO Deutschland, with Hermen Kobus (Ford Fiesta S2000) fourth and triple ERC champion Luca Rossetti (SKODA Fabia S2000) fifth, having fought back from an early visit to a ditch. Stephane Lefebvre won ERC Junior, but only after a tie-break separated him from fellow Peugeot 208 R2 driver Andrea Crugnola. Despite losing time with a puncture, Andy Lefevere (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X) won the ERC Production Car Cup for a second year running, coming home seventh overall. Crashes put some big-name drivers out, including Esapekka Lappi (SKODA Fabia S2000), Xevi Pons (Fiesta R5), Pieter Tsjoen (Peugeot 208 T16) and Anton'n Tlustak (Fabia S2000), while Craig Breen suffered a myriad of technical issues in his 208 T16.

Craig's sights set on Victory in Ypres.

Posted: June 25, 2015 6:26 AM

The town of Ypres in Belgium and its famous all asphalt rally will host round five of the FIA European Rally Championship this week (26th-27th of June). Peugeot Rally Academy driver Craig Breen has won on every surface in the 208T16 this year and will go there as championship leader dearly wanting this event in particular to be his fourth ERC win in a row.

Not only do rally fans the world over hold this rally in very high esteem but drivers too. Totalling just over 250kms, the farmland roads are typically slippy, narrow and lined by drainage ditches making up seventeen special stages around the historic town. This is without doubt one of the top asphalt event win's that every rally driver wants on their CV. After his three wins this year the Peugeot Rally Academy ace is naturally full of confidence but taking nothing for granted. Although his main championship rival this year Kajetan Kajetanowicz will not compete this time out Craig and his co-driver Scott Martin will have plenty of other competition from well-known ERC and WRC regulars including former nine times local winner Freddy Loix who will surely be on a mission to make it ten.

As usual the action gets underway on Thursday with a qualifying stage but for this event it takes place in the evening time. It's not until Friday at lunch time that the winner of that shootout will be the first to choose their road running order for leg one so they'll have plenty of time to make up their mind before taking to the stages in anger later that evening when the first of the day's seven stages goes live just before 5pm. Those stages only account for just over 80km of the rally's competitive mileage for the real sting in the tail will be Saturday (Leg2) with double the distance to tackle.

Although having a very positive start to his rally by qualifying second last year Craig picked up a puncture on the very first stage and despite launching one of his signature comebacks technical issues began to hamper the Peugeot Rally Academy driver which eventually climaxed on SS14 forcing him into retirement. Determined to take the win this year Craig said 'I can't wait, we've proven we have the pace to win here already and was it not for a little bad luck last year we could be going this time to do the double, it's getting everything we've got.'

You can keep up to date with Craig's FIA ERC 2015 campaign by visiting www.craigbreen.com or www.peugeot-sport.com

The Peugeot Rally Academy targeting four ERC wins in a row

Posted: June 25, 2015 6:23 AM

After securing victories on snow in Latvia, on asphalt in Ireland and on dirt in the Azores, the 208 T16 heads to Belgium's famous Ypres Rally, round six of the 2015 FIA European Rally Championship (FIA ERC). The competition's current leaders Craig Breen/Scott Martin will be joined by St'phane Lefebvre/St'phane Pr'vot, while Diogo Gago/Jorge Carvalho will be back in action in the ERC Junior class in their usual 208 R2. The Kenotek Ypres Rally is one of the FIA ERC's classic fixtures and one of the most important rounds of the season. It invariably attracts huge crowds, while competitors face a challenging cocktail of fast, narrow lanes with countless junctions and lined by deep ditches, leaving no margin for error. The event's format is an added difficulty, since two-thirds of the total competitive distance ' 170 kilometres ' will be packed into a single day.

The Belgian event has attracted a high number of Peugeot 208 T16s and R2s. In addition to the two 208 T16s that will be in the hands of the Peugeot Rally Academy's pair, there will be similar cars for the 2005 Ypres victor Kris Princen, who will be in the colours of Peugeot Belgium Luxemburg and who is currently second in the Belgian championship, as well as for Portugal's Bruno Magalh'es. Last year's Peugeot Rally Academy runner Kevin Abbring and nine-time Ypres winner Freddy Loix stand out among the event's other favourites.

Eleven of the 16 cars entered in the ERC Junior class are 208s R2, including a car for the competition's pace-setter, Peugeot UK driver Chris Ingram. The list continues with competitors in the Peugeot 208 Rally Trophy Belux which is currently dominated by C'dric De Cecco.

Thanks to a score of three victories from the last three rounds, Craig Breen tops the provisional 2015 FIA ERC standings ahead of Ypres with a 14-point cushion over second-placed Kajetan Kajetanowicz. The Irishman has contested the famous Belgian event twice before, once in 2013 when he came third for the Peugeot Rally Academy in a 207 S2000, and again in 2014.

Although he is clearly determined to add a fourth straight success to his 2015 record, Craig's priority will be to defend his championship lead despite the Ypres Rally's highly specific terrain:
'It's nice to arrive in Ypres with the last three wins under my belt and I'm really looking forward to driving my 208 T16 on asphalt again. It would obviously be nice to make it four-in-a-row but Ypres is a very hard event. The stages are narrow and the weather can be changeable. There are a lot of drivers who are a capable of winning; not just the ERC regulars but also the locals who know the stages by heart. I can't wait to get started and hopefully continue my run of top results with the Peugeot Rally Academy.'`

The defending Junior-WRC champion St'phane Lefebvre, who also won the ERC Junior title in 2014 with the Peugeot Rally Academy, is making his return in the colours of Peugeot Sport. This time last year, the Frenchman won the Junior contest in Ypres driving the Academy's 208 R2, so he will be eager to build on that experience to challenge for another strong showing, this time in the overall order. The native of northern France has a good understanding of R5 machinery now since he drives a DS3 in the WRC2. His participation in this year's Ypres Rally is his reward for winning the 2014 Junior ERC title. With Belgian co-driver St'phane Pr'vot ' winner of the event in 2002 in a 206 WRC ' sitting alongside calling out the notes, the French youngster has high hopes of a top performance: 'I thoroughly enjoyed Ypres last year and I want to do well again this weekend. Having St'phane [Pr'vot] as my co-driver will be an advantage because he knows the event so well. My aim is to battle for a podium finish even though I'm on a run of gravel events in the WRC at the moment. I've tested the 208 T16. It's a very easy car to drive, so that will boost my chances of a good result with the Peugeot Rally Academy.'

After coming second on his home round in the Azores earlier this month, Diogo Gago has decided to change tactics for the Belgian rally:
'My objective is the same as it was in Ireland, and that's a top-five finish. That would be a good result for me because I've got less experience on asphalt. In Ireland, we ended up fourth, so that shows we are capable of adapting to specific stages. I've already competed in Belgium because I did the Rallye du Condroz which was a round of the 208 Rally Cup in 2013. Although the stages aren't the same, I will be able to count on the first class handling of my 208 R2 on all types of surface. I will need to finish in the big points ahead of the last two rounds of the ERC Junior championship because only the best four results count at the end of the season.'

Event Websites / Rally Guide

Posted: May 1, 2015 5:57 AM

• Ypres Rally
• Ypres Historic Rally