Ypres Rally - 28-29 Jun 19

James & Arthur Battling in Ypres Rally for R2 Honours

Posted: June 28, 2019 5:35 PM

Round four of the British Rally Championship (BRC), the Ypres Rally in Belgium takes place this weekend with the event starting on Friday and finishing on Saturday evening. Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Award winner James Wilson and his co-driver Arthur Kierans, were very much looking forward to the rally, especially as James had a superb debut on the event last season. However before the crews set out on the recce of the rally route, James was in somewhat reflective mood following the tragic accident last weekend in Donegal.

“It was absolutely devastating to hear the news of Manus Kelly’s accident last weekend, and we still are finding it hard to take in. We had been in the same team as Manus of late, and we often chatted at the events. He was an absolute gentleman, down to earth, very helpful and approachable and I much admired his achievements, especially his three impressive Donegal victories. It’s hard to believe he’s gone, and we again would like to express our deepest condolences to his wife Bernie, his five children, all of his family and his very wide circle of friends. Also to the PCRS team who have pulled together this week to get the final preparations done and the cars over here to Ypres.”

For the Sport Ireland assisted driver it’s the first time back in the driving seat of the Peugeot 208 R2 since the retirement with oil pressure issues on the Pirelli Rally. For this event the team are running a borrowed engine and the game plan for the weekend is to try and get to the finish and secure points to haul them back up the BRC leaderboard. “We just want to keep our head down, get around with a good clean run if possible and see where that takes us. Last year I really got into the rhythm of these roads, and hopefully we can do the same this year” expressed the young County Armagh driver. With the added bonus of the generous Peugeot Sport UK/Ireland prize money on offer again, and taking on some of the best R2 competition in Europe it’s an important event in the world-wide rally calendar.

However there was drama as the Rigual SA supported 208 got out of phase on the rally’s shakedown stage, went into a big spin and a frontal impact left the PCRS team with a busy evening rebuilding the front of the car before today’s start. Additional backing has come once again from Road Tankers Armagh Ltd, Philip White Tyres, TEC Industrial, Emco Wheaton and the Armagh City Hotel Health & Fitness Club

Looking ahead to the rally, a good result for James and Arthur this weekend, would definately help to lift the team’s spirits. Whilst the competition is tough the team have proven their speed and consistency on the tarmac with the 208 in the past.

For more information see James Wilson Rallying on Facebook

Biggest event of the BRC season beckons in Belgium

Posted: June 27, 2019 3:29 PM

Having claimed two British Rally Championship victories and consequently, maximum point scores on the previous two rounds: the West Cork and Pirelli rallies, Tom Cave heads to round four and the Renties Ypres Rally leading the drivers’ standings by seven points.

Taking place on smooth West Flanders asphalt roads, for the Aberdovey driver this weekend’s event is the biggest of the season on three levels: overall competitive distance, the rally’s sporting status and for keeping Tom’s title hopes on track.

“It’s an important one for us, as we will be fighting to maintain our championship lead”, explains Tom. “It’s a demanding rally too. Whilst the stages are on good quality roads, they’re very technical in nature and you have to concentrate 100% of the time.“

Tom will be partnered in Belgium by fellow Welshman and his regular co-driver for 2019, Dale Bowen and will be driving the same Philip Case Rally Sport prepared Hyundai i20 R5 that he has used for all three previous British Championship rounds.

“I last did this rally two years ago - also in a Hyundai i20 R5 - and although we didn’t finish on that occasion, following the experience gained and the development of the car since then, I am confident we can be very competitive this year.

“As usual there’s a high quality of crews and teams on the entry list and whilst we’ll be fighting for overall honours, our main focus will be to beat our BRC rivals, of course. I must admit that following my last asphalt outing in Ireland, I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do in Belgium.”

A test on Tuesday on similar roads that will be used for the rally went exactly according to plan, with Tom reporting that the Michelin tyres were working exceptionally well in the dry and warm conditions.

Tom and Dale will carry #5 on the door of their Hyundai and will take part in Thursday evening’s qualifying session that will dictate their eventual starting position.

Following the pre-start ceremony in the centre of the town, the Ypres Rally gets underway at 16.10 CET. Crews tackle nine stages that evening and following the overnight halt, another 10 on Sunday, with the finish scheduled to take place at 18.15. The rally’s overall competitive distance of 277 kms makes this the longest event in the BRC calendar.

The team welcomes its new sponsors and supporters for this event: Ponsse UK, Shukers Hyundai in Aberystwyth and Gamme Hyundai in Ypres. They join Tom’s existing line up of supporters: Trailhead Fine Foods and its Get Jerky snack brand, Cambrian Training, Michelin Motorsport, H.N. Nuttall Foodservice, Go Fetch Ltd, Intervino, Atech Racing, Walero and Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing.

Gallagher and Williams join EDSL Sport for Ypres Rally assault

Posted: June 18, 2019 7:14 AM

Junior British Rally Championship (JBRC) front runners Marty Gallagher and James Williams will join forces with EDSL Sport at the iconic Renties Ypres Rally (28 – 29 June), each driving a 2019 specification M-Sport Ford Fiesta R2T.

Piloting his own Peugeot 208 R2 for the opening three rounds of the British Championship, Gallagher will make the switch to the EDSL run Ford Fiesta MK8 R2T for the fourth round of the series in a bid to gain valuable experience in a top-spec machine for the future. He will be joined by regular co-driver Dean O’ Sullivan.

After driving one the firm’s Ford Fiesta R2T’s at the season-opening Cambrian Rally in February, Williams and reigning JBRC champion co-driver Tom Woodburn will head to Belgium behind the wheel of one of the next generation examples. The opportunity to pilot one of the most modern R2’s on the market will put Williams right in the thick of the battle for JBRC honours on the tricky Ypres roads.

EDSL Sport has fielded a two and three car team in the British Championship this season. An opportunity arose for the Hampshire based squad to have both Gallagher and Williams in the firm’s new Fiesta’s and with both deals being sealed this week, they will take on some of the most talented Junior drivers in Europe across the unique asphalt roads in Ypres.

Gallagher has shown an impressive form in the JBRC over the past few years, but has been unlucky to not clinch the title during his four years in the championship. His 2019 campaign has seen a podium at the Cambrian Rally but a West Cork retirement and fifth in Carlisle means his title fight is all but over for the 23 year old. This offers the Letterkenny driver opportunity to sample a Fiesta without the pressures of a championship.

After the opener in Wales, Williams would utilise his own car for the asphalt of the West Cork Rally in Ireland, scoring an impressive second spot despite using the somewhat outdated Vauxhall Adam. Sadly, he was forced to miss the Pirelli Rally last month but will re-join the championship for round four and will be back with a familiar team.

Being behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta in the 2019 JBRC offers the chance to vie for a prize fund of 60,000 Euros towards a season in the Junior World Rally Championship in 2020 which has been provided by M-Sport Poland and Pirelli.

As official M-Sport UK re-sellers, EDSL Sport has fielded several rapid youngsters in their Fiesta’s this season but Team Manager Alex Waterman believes that the new line-up could give the Ford its first JBRC victory.

“It’s always going to be tricky to jump from your own car into something like the new Fiesta but I really think that Marty (Gallagher) and James (Williams) are two of those naturally gifted drivers that learn very quickly, and could well be on the pace from the beginning” he says.

“Ypres is such a unique place and can take several years to master but both drivers have experience of the stages and with the new car beneath them, I think either has an excellent chance of being a the forefront of the JBRC battle. We are very excited to have them on board for Belgium. The team are looking forward to their feedback and what the future holds”.

The Renties Ypres Rally offers around 280km of flat out action, spread across 23 stages from the historic rally base of Ypres.

What they said:

Marty Gallagher said:
“I met Alex (Waterman, Team Manager) at the Fiesta launch in Poland and were interested in the car but our plans were already set to use the Peugeot in 2019.

But as the championship isn't going according to plan, we have decided to already look at next year and get a head start for the new changes (to the JBRC).

I’m going there to win and have done Ypres twice now so hopefully experience will play it's part. It's a matter of learning the car and go from there really. I`m really looking forward to seeing what I can do on the stages and compare times with the 208 lads.

But the M-Sport / Pirelli prize for this year is still up for grabs, so hopefully if we have three good events in the car, it will put us up there with a fighting chance for the prize.”

James Williams said:
“This is a great opportunity offered to us by EDSL Sport.

I’ve had a strong desire to drive the new Ford Fiesta R2T (for a while) and we have been working hard to get a deal together for my favourite rally of 2019 (Ypres Rally). To know we will be there at the start line makes me so excited for the challenge ahead.

It hasn't been the best season for us so far even though we showed great pace at the West Cork Rally despite having never competed there before. Having a poor start to the season has meant our championship hopes have been dashed, however, I know I can be fast in Ypres and a good result there in the new Fiesta will hopefully reignite our bid to win the M-Sport and Pirelli prize.

In my opinion, the biggest challenge is to improve on last year’s performance- which is going to be tough, given that we won (JBRC) and picked up first overall front wheel drive. However, I know where I can improve and extract more performance. If we get a successful test in the new car, I'm confident we can be fast and hopefully have a strong rally.”

Breen / Nagle to drive VW Polo R5

Posted: May 22, 2019 5:42 AM

The cats out of the bag! @paulnagle1 & I are off to @ypresrally in a #VWPoloR5 pic.twitter.com/lbCeh61TXy

— Craig Breen (@Craig_Breen) May 22, 2019

Entries Received / Event Website

Posted: May 20, 2019 7:01 AM

Ypres Rally