Ypres Rally (Belgium) - 28-29 Jun 13

NEUVILLE PRAISES M-SPORT’S FORD FIESTA R5 AFTER IMPRESSIVE YPRES DEBUT

Posted: February 12, 2014 12:04 PM

Having driven M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta R5 at the head of the field on last weekend’s Geko Ypres Rally, Thierry Neuville was full of praise for the company’s latest challenger after completing all 19 stages as part of the FIA European Rally Championship.

Partnered by regular co-driver and fellow Belgian Nicolas Gilsoul, the pairing have extensive knowledge of their local event – a fact made all the more apparent by their impressive performance on the specialist stages. The conditions suited the duo perfectly as they piloted their Fiesta R5 to what would have been 16 fastest times from a possible 19 stages.

Despite a couple of ‘offs’ and having caught the zero car on occasion, Neuville and the Fiesta R5 remained in a class of their own. Were it not for a puncture on SS14 which lost the youngster some three minutes, his time would have been good enough to secure the rally win by an impressive two minute advantage.

Based on the new 1.6-litre EcoBoost-engined Ford Fiesta ST road car – Ford’s fastest-ever production Fiesta which went on sale earlier this year – the Fiesta R5 rally car forms the latest step on Ford and M-Sport’s ‘Ladder of Opportunity’ and Neuville was suitably impressed with the partnership’s latest collaboration.

But Neuville clearly isn’t the only driver impressed with the performance of M-Sport’s latest rally car. With more than 20 deposits already placed, it is likely that the Fiesta R5 will make a return to the stages – this time in competition – with M-Sport customers towards the end of the month.

Thierry Neuville said:
“The car is really impressive. In terms of chassis and brakes, you can compare it to a WRC car although the engine is, of course, not the same and you have only five gears. It is a really driveable car and good fun too! For regional championships like the ERC [FIA European Rally Championship], it is perfect – less expensive than a Super 2000 or Regional Rally Car, but still very competitive.

“You can also adapt really quickly to this car and it’s easy to set quick times because you have the benefit of a good set-up and therefore more confidence straight away. It’s a great car for a driver who wants to prove their speed and I think the FIA have done a great job with the regulations of this new class.”

Debut 3rd place for Breen on Rally Ypers

Posted: February 12, 2014 12:03 PM

For his first attempt at Belgium’s round of the European Rally Championship (ERC), Craig Breen delivered a strong performance to claim third place in his Peugeot 207 S2000.

Competing in Ypres for the first time is never easy, especially in wet weather. Even so, Craig Breen produced a sure footed performance on the sixth round of the European Rally Championship. From the outset, the only representative of the Peugeot Rally Academy managed to match the pace of the highly experienced Freddy Loix who was on home soil. At the same time, Craig Breen and Paul Nagle were able to pull gradually clear of the Peugeot 207 S2000 of Bryan Bouffier before a driveshaft issue saw the Irishman lose valuable ground on SS5.

Breen/Nagle completed the first day’s action in fourth place but responded by posting a series of fastest stage times on Saturday morning which allowed them to recover third place and close the gap to Bryan Bouffier. The battle for second place between the two Peugeot 207 S2000 drivers continued until the very last stage when Breen slid off. The Peugeot Rally Academy driver was consequently forced to settle for third place, but his fourth podium finish of the year consolidates his second place in the provisional European rally Championship standings.

At the finish Craig said,
“We were a little fortunate on the last stage. I lost control of the car at slow speed. Once we got going again, I pushed hard until I saw the flags which indicated that the stage had been neutralised. The final part was run as a road section. Third place is a good result, especially as we were able to match Freddy Loix’s pace on Saturday when the conditions really weren’t good. I learnt a great deal this weekend and I believe I progressed on this rally.”

When asked, how confident are you of continuing your strong form in the second half of the season? Craig said,
“On every surface we’ve gone to, each rally we’ve been competitive and we’ve been able to set fastest stage times. The only one was Canaries, which for some reason was a difficult rally for me. Everywhere else we’ve been very, very fast so I can’t see why not on the other rallies towards the end of the season that we can show more speed. Rallies that are new for me are always difficult, like here in Ypres. In Poland and Valais we have new rallies but in Sanremo we’re back for a second time and I hope we can push for a victory. I feel much more confident on the second pass.”

Craig’s co driver Paul Nagle was the winning co driver on the event in 2009 and at the finish was asked to access Craig’s performance?
“He did a fantastic job yesterday. I know how quickly Freddy goes around these lanes. To be that close to him after the first loop was very, very impressive. After the problems, especially this morning to see the fastest time in the first five stages. In these difficult conditions I think he did a very good job and has got a very bright future ahead of him.”

Paul was also asked, how tough were the conditions yesterday and how would you rate the level of organisation?
“The conditions yesterday were as tricky as we’ve ever seen. It seems every rally we’ve done this year the conditions have gone against us. You never have rain in Corsica or Canaries but we did this year and Azores was a flood and here there was rain. We’d just love a dry or a wet rally but it’s just the way it is at the moment. As for the organisation the Ypres Rally is known worldwide as a fantastic rally with fantastic organisation. The team that runs this rally are superb. The spectators, town, location, everything about this rally… and the location more than anything else. The atmosphere you wouldn’t get it anywhere else in the world so great credit to the organising team. The spectators that helped us this evening you wouldn’t get it anywhere else in the world. It’s a fantastic and great credit to the organising team for putting on a great show for us.”

ERC YPRES JOY FOR RECORD-BREAKER LOIX

Posted: February 12, 2014 11:54 AM

Home hero Freddy Loix has won the Geko Ypres Rally for an eighth time on the back of a faultless display as the FIA European Rally Championship made its annual visit to Belgium for the all-asphalt spectacular.

The ŠKODA Motorsport driver, who entered his first Ypres Rally 20 years ago, led from the start having also set the pace during Thursday evening’s Qualifying Stage – the first ever on a Tarmac event – which marked the competition debut of MICHELIN’s new PILOT Sport R asphalt tyre.

As well as celebrating Loix’s record-extending win in Ypres, the fans who flocked to the stages in huge number were treated to a glimpse of rallying’s exciting future right here, right now, when Kris Meeke and Thierry Neuville demonstrated the new-generation Peugeot 208 T16 and M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 respectively as course cars. The R5-specification machines were fast and created considerable interest.

Elsewhere, Mitsubishi Lancer pilot Andy Lefevere took full advantage of Andreas Aigner’s woes to win the ERC Production Car Cup in a stunning fourth overall as fellow Belgian Xavier Baugnet clinched the ERC 2WD Championship spoils in a Peugeot 208 R2. Melissa Debackere won the ERC Ladies’ Trophy on her debut in the contest in a fine seventh overall.

With an advantage of 1m36.2s starting leg two, which covered almost 200 timed kilometres, Loix and co-driver Frédéric Miclotte could afford to manage their pace on a mainly dry second leg in their works-prepared Fabia Super 2000.

“Right from the start I had a great feeling with my car and I was able to push,” said Loix, who made his Ypres debut in 1993. “We showed a very good speed in difficult conditions. At the moment when Craig [Breen] had problems it was a little bit slowing down and just trying to get to the finish. I am very happy.”

But while the Belgians remained out of reach in top spot, a battle raged for second place between Peugeot 207 S2000 drivers Bryan Bouffier and Craig Breen, who had dropped out of the lead battle when his car suffered a front-left driveshaft failure on Friday evening.

Bouffier began day two 46s ahead of Breen in his Cuckoomobile.be entry. But after going on a five-stage winning streak on the final morning, Breen was able to demote Hayden Paddon for third before slashing Bouffier’s advantage to a little more than 20s. However, Bouffier hit back by winning the first of two stages to take place over the border in his native France, before Breen overshot a junction and stalled the engine in his Peugeot Rally Academy entry on stage 14. Bouffier continued to resist Breen’s threat by scoring another four stage wins, a performance that earned him the prestigious Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy.

It would prove to be a dramatic end to the rally for Breen who went off on the final stage and ended up stuck in a ditch. He eventually regained the road thanks to the help of several spectators but feared his hopes were over until the stage was cancelled after the cars of Davy Vanneste and Mikko Pajunen caught fire and blocked the stage, thankfully without injury to either crew. With the results declared at the end of stage 19, Breen was classified third behind Bouffier.

Vanneste’s exit handed fourth to Lefevere – they had been in a close scrap at the time – with Dutchman Hermen Kobus fifth and Micha? So?owow sixth. Behind Debackere, former Hungarian champion András Hadik impressed on his ERC debut in eighth with Antonín Tlus?ák finishing ninth and claiming another strong haul of points for the GPD Mit Metal Racing Team in its quest for the European Rally Championship for Teams. David Croes took 10th with Aigner battling to the finish in 11th in his Stohl Racing Subaru Impreza R4 STI for crucial ERC Production Car Cup points.

Aigner was on course for his third consecutive victory in the division only to drop back when he damaged his car’s left-rear wheel striking a tree on Saturday morning. A puncture and a loss of brakes caused further misery for the Austrian.

Former Production Car world champion Hayden Paddon was in fourth overall when he crashed out at high speed on stage 14. Although he and co-driver John Kennard were uninjured, damage to the Fiesta’s radiator after the car struck a tree meant they were unable to continue. “The rear of the car snapped sideways for no apparent reason, which spun us down the road,” Paddon said.

Germain Bonnefis was the sole finisher for Team Renault Sport Technologies in 12th following Robert Consani’s exit on leg one. Marco Tempestini finished eighth in the Production Car Cup for the Napoca Rally Academy with Zoltán Bessenyey taking ninth in ERC 2WD for Eurosol-Honda Civic Type R.

The Geko Ypres Rally marked the halfway stage of the 2013 ERC season when the scores of drivers, co-drivers and teams from the first six events are effectively frozen as only the best four results from the first six rounds – plus the best four results from the final six events are considered.

A brand-new app for iPhone and android provides live timing, news and other essential information as well as live ERC Rally Radio. Visit the new ERC website, www.fiaerc.com. Follow the ERC on Facebook and Twitter and watch the action on Eurosport and Eurosport Player.

Results

Posted: February 12, 2014 11:51 AM

1 Freddy Loix (BEL)/Frédéric Miclotte (BEL) ŠKODA Fabia 2000 2h32m19.4s
2 Bryan Bouffier (FRA)/Lara Vanneste (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +1m21.0s
3 Craig Breen (IRL)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +1m52.5s
4 Andy Lefevere (BEL)/Andy Vangheluwe (BEL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +6m36.4s
5 Hermen Kobus (NLD)/Erik de Wild (NLD) Ford Fiesta S2000 +6m41.2s
6 Micha? So?owow (POL)/Sebastian Rozwadowski (POL) Ford Fiesta RRC +7m00.0s
7 Melissa Debackere (BEL)/Cindy Cokelaere (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +9m38.5s
8 András Hadik (HUN)/Krisztián Kertész (HUN) Subaru Impreza R4 STI +10m09.3s
9 Antonín Tlus?ák (CZE)/Jan Škaloud (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +10m25.6s
10 David Croes (BEL)/Eric Tack (BEL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +12m07.7s

ERC Production Car Cup:
Andy Lefevere (BEL)/Andy Vangheluwe (BEL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X

ERC 2WD Championship:
Xavier Baugnet (BEL)/Eric Borguet (BEL) Peugeot 208 R2

ERC Ladies’ Trophy:
Melissa Debackere (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000

Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy:
Bryan Bouffier (FRA)

Full Results: rally-base results | European Rally Championship (ERC) - fiaerc.com

Seeded Entry List

Posted: June 27, 2013 5:49 AM

Ypres Rally (Belgium) - 28-29 Jun 13 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

FIA ERC 2013 event preview: Geko Ypres Rally

Posted: June 27, 2013 5:35 AM

R5 CARS TO THRILL YPRES FANS ON ERC ASPHALT SHOWCASE

An action-packed motorsport extravaganza is in store when the 2013 FIA European Rally Championship reaches its halfway point on the Geko Ypres Rally in Belgium from 27-29 June.

More than 100 crews will contest the famous asphalt showcase in the West-Vlaanderen province with hordes of enthusiastic fans descending on the historic market town and the surrounding countryside to savour the high-speed excitement.

But this year’s rally is about more than just the battle to be top dog in the ERC and the serious competition ahead: there’s the future of rallying to look forward to after all.

The future of rallying, right here, right now

The tens of thousands of spectators that will flock to the farmland roads will witness the future of rallying, right here, right now when two new-generation R5 rally cars take to the stages. Although they won’t be able to chase stage times and overall results as they’re not quite ready for competition use, the M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 and the Peugeot 208 T16 will be driven through all 20 stages, immediately prior to the course opening zero car, by ace pilots Thierry Neuville and Kris Meeke respectively.

Neuville is Belgium’s only full-time world championship driver, while Meeke won in Ypres in 2009. R5 cars are designed to be faster but more affordable than the headlining Super 2000 class and several manufacturers are investing in the category. The Ypres Rally will mark the first time that two R5 cars will have been seen in public and the spectacle is one not to be missed.

Serious competition and a serious challenge ahead

Crews will be braced for a tough test in Ypres with a competitive, albeit compact route comprising almost 300 kilometres over 20 stages. The narrow roads are lined by drainage ditches, errant telegraph poles and popularised by tight junctions that lie in wait to catch out the unwary.

The practice of corner ‘cutting’ to maximise speed through the tight and twisty turns is commonplace and vital to success in Ypres, but creates a slippery surface as mud and debris are dragged onto the road. Hidden obstacles can also prove to be a menace, particularly when the stages are run after dark, making experience key to success: seven-time winner Freddy Loix is making his 16th Ypres start this season.

Battle for victory wide open

As many as five drivers are ranked as genuine contenders for overall victory in Ypres with Freddy Loix among the expected frontrunners in his ŠKODA Motorsport Fabia Super 2000. However, the Belgian veteran will face strong opposition from a number of ERC regulars including three-time podium finisher Craig Breen, Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse winner Bryan Bouffier, former Production Car world champion Hayden Paddon and rallying legend François Delecour.

Share and share alike

It will be an Ypres Rally with a difference for Bernd Casier and Pieter Tsjoen. The Belgian aces have been unable to secure enough funding to take part in their own right. Rather than miss out on the highlight of the Belgian rallying season, Casier and Tsjoen are pooling their resources in more ways than one by sharing a ŠKODA Fabia S2000 and will take it in turns to drive and co-drive.

The famous five in Ypresv

Five drivers will be in the hunt for FIA ERC Ladies’ Trophy honours. Melissa Debackere, Evelien De Corte, Julie Devalot, Ekaterina Stratieva and Molly Taylor are all set to take part on the Belgian classic, the highest number of participants in the ERC Ladies’ Trophy since it began earlier this season. After four rallies, Bulgarian Stratieva – who finished first on the opening event in Gran Canaria – tops the standings, two points ahead of Australia’s Taylor, who claimed top points on the previous round in Corsica. Debackere, De Corte and Devalot are all new to the contest in Ypres.

Support championships will thrill

It’s not just the battle for overall honours that will write the headlines in Ypres: the fight for glory in the ERC Production Car Cup will be equally intense with several leading lights in action. They include Subaru’s championship leader Andreas Aigner, Team Renault Sport Technologies duo Germain Bonnefis and Robert Consani, Mitsubishi drivers Jaroslav Orsák (GPD Mit Metal Racing Team) and Vitaliy Pushkar, the vastly experienced Marco Tempestini of Napoca Rally Academy, plus former Hungarian champion András Hadak, not to mention several rapid Belgian drivers such as Chris van Woensel.

The ERC 2WD Championship will also be closely fought with Eurosol-Honda Civic Type R’s Zoltán Bessenyey and fellow Hungarian Kornél Lukács both expected to impress against a horde of Benelux-based competitors and Max Vatanen, the son of 1981 world champion Ari Vatanen.

Points make prizes

ERC regulations allow drivers to count their best four scores from the opening six events and their best four scores from the final six rounds. This means that Ypres is the final chance for drivers and co-drivers to play catch-up in the title race. With three wins and one second from four appearances, European championship leader Jan Kopecký has elected not to compete in Ypres due to his near-perfect run of results.

Qualifying comes to Ypres

History will be made on the Geko Ypres Rally when it becomes the first all-asphalt event to include a Qualifying Stage. The move will add a new and exciting dimension to the traditional shakedown stage held on the evening before the event. FIA and ERC priority drivers (a maximum of 20 will be nominated) will get two runs of free practice from 19:00hrs CET on Thursday 27 June before the Qualifying Stage goes live at 20:00hrs. The fastest driver will be the first to select their starting position at a ceremony in the Ypres Rally Center from 13:30hrs on Friday 28 June with the second fastest driver next up and so on until all starting positions have been selected.

New stages on the itinerary
Despite the huge success of the Ypres Rally, the organisers never rest on their laurels and have revamped the itinerary to include three new stages for 2013. Mesen is an updated version of the old Middelhoek test and starts in the centre of Mesen, while Heuvelland is being run in an opposite direction to last season. Wijtschate is a longer version of Mesen-Sauvegarde. There are a total of 20 stages, six from early Friday evening and 14 from Saturday morning and into the night.

Service with a smile

As well as the action on the stages, the atmosphere in the service park is simply sensational. The central setting in Ypres’s Grote Markt creates an unforgettable ambience and party vibe, especially at night when it’s possible to enjoy frites mayonnaise or a hot Belgian waffle while watching the cars being serviced... Tickets for the event are still on sale by visiting the official event website, www.ypresrally.com.

Q&A: THIERRY NEUVILLE
Belgian hero to drive new-generation Ford Fiesta R5 on ERC counter

What’s the objective for you on this rally?
“We need to show the reliability of the car of course and I am sure this will be quite easy because the car is very good. But there’s another R5, the Peugeot 208 T16, and maybe we can compare the times. It will be interesting for the spectators to follow the car because it’s something new. Of course we will do some testing during the event so it’s not all about having fun.”

How excited are you to be back in Ypres and involved in this project? “I’ve done a lot of work on developing cars in the past. I know what will be expected from me, to give our feedback, so it’s always exciting. But always it’s great to be in front of my Belgian fans and my Belgian supporters. Ypres is a really nice atmosphere and it’s nice to be back again. Of course I would like to be going for the victory, it’s not possible but to be there with a new car is great.”

It’s not always been a happy rally for you…
“No, I’ve finished one time only in 2010 when I was on the podium. In 2011 we had a lot of problems. Although it has not always been the best event for me I like it really a lot, I like the stages even though I was not really successful.”

What is the appeal of Ypres to the drivers – it’s a very popular rally? “The atmosphere is something special. The roads are long straights with deep cuts. It’s a high-speed rally with corners that are very tight. But you go so fast in because you cut so much. It’s something exciting and every corner you get a bit nervous because you are not sure what is going to happen in the cut.”

Would you describe it as a difficult rally?
“Many, many drivers who come here crash and most of the time it’s a big crash because it’s always high speed. People underestimate the rally because it’s long straights and tight corners but it’s easy to brake too late on a junction and you don’t have one or two metres more to turn, you are directly in a ditch. It’s a very difficult rally.”

You obviously can’t win the rally so who do you think will be challenging for victory?
“I know Craig Breen can be fast but does not have the experience and Freddy Loix will go very fast and does have the experience.”

FIVE FACTS
* At just short of 300 kilometres, the Ypres Rally is the longest round of the 2013 ERC so far in terms of competitive distance
* No driver has won in Ypres more times than Freddy Loix. The 42-year-old has taken victory on his home round of the ERC on seven occasions
* Don’t be confused by signs to Ieper: it’s how Flemish-speaking Belgians spell Ypres
* The town of Ypres’ history dates back to Roman times but it’s not always been a happy place: during World War I it was the centre of a number of battles between German and Allied Forces
* As well as hosting a round of the ERC, Ypres is home of the Kattenstoet, or Cat Parade, a tri-annual event that involves a colourful parade of cats and witches no less

BELGIAN ACES PLAN ULTIMATE SWAP DRIVE IN YPRES

Posted: June 16, 2013 8:38 AM

Top Belgian drivers Bernd Casier and Pieter Tsjoen are planning a swap drive with a difference when the FIA European Rally Championship resumes on the Geko Ypres Rally in their homeland later this month.

With both drivers lacking a full budget to take part in their own right, an audacious plan has been hatched to share a ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 on the asphalt classic with each taking it in turns to drive and co-drive.

“Rallying is in my blood but I’ve been struggling to find the budget and I’ve not driven this year and have really missed it,” Tsjoen explained. “I saw Bernd at a party recently and he told me he had the same problem so, after some drinks, I said why don’t we stop being competitors and become partners. It might sound crazy but I’d sooner do this than not drive at all.”

Tsjoen, who won in Ypres in 2001, reckons his co-driving experience amounts to three rallies only and concedes that both he and Casier will be “in pain and in fear” during the event.

In terms of which driver does which stage, Tsjoen admitted that remained a sticking point.
“The goal for the moment is I do the stages I like and Bernd does the stages he likes,” said Tsjoen. “However, I am 1.79 metres tall and Bernd is 1.92 metres so we’re not sure how easy it will be to the change the seat – we might have change position at each service.”

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Posted: June 16, 2013 8:37 AM

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The future of rallying at Geko Ypres Rally – Peugeot and Ford to showcase new Regional Rally Cars

Posted: June 16, 2013 8:35 AM

History will be written at the Geko Ypres Rally this year, as both Peugeot and Ford will showcase their new R5 cars. The new Ford Fiesta R5 will be driven by Belgian world rally championship driver Thierry Neuville, while former Geko Ypres Rally winner Kris Meeke will be at the wheel of the Peugeot 208 T16.

Farewell to Group A and Group N cars. That is what the introduction of the Group R is all about. In its efforts to simplify categories and classes, FIA regulations allow for no more than three different rally classes: WRC, S2000 and the new Group R. And both Ford and Peugeot have selected the Geko Ypres Rally as their final test before entering their new cars into rallying. The new R5 cars will run just before the official zero-car.

Geko Ypres Rally Manager Alain Penasse explains:
"The R5 class in rallying is one of the most anticipated ones in recent rally history. You could actually compare it to the introduction of the S-2000 class almost a decade ago. R5 is the top in the Group R, and brings the cars from the world championship to national or regional championship with just a few aerodynamical and engine modifications, to make the cars cheaper to run."

The Ford Fiesta R5 is based on the Ford Fiesta WRC, the car which brought Thierry Neuville a podium finish in the Acropolis Rally just a few weeks ago. The Fiesta R5, developed by Ford's partner M-Sport, will run as opening or course car in Ypres, driven by world championship star Thierry Neuville and his regular co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul.

The all-new Peugeot 208 T16 was first announced at last year's Paris car show. Developed by Bertrand Vallat, who also oversaw development of the hugely successful 207 S2000, the car features a turbo-charged 1600cc engine, developing 280 horsepower. The car will make its first public appearance in Ypres, in the hands for former winner Kris Meeke, co-driven by Chris Patterson.

Alain Penasse:
"Having both R5 cars present in Ypres is fantastic news. Not only are we the first ERC rally to have qualifying, now also are the first to have the all-new R5 cars. And just like all rallying fans, I am anxious to see the pace of the new cars as it is expected that R5 cars will be faster than their current S2000 versions."

Website / Details / Rally Guide

Posted: June 16, 2013 8:05 AM

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