Ypres Rally Belgium (WRC) - NEW DATE 19-22 Nov 20 - CANCELLED

Renties Ypres Rally is cancelled

Posted: October 30, 2020 10:14 AM

With a heavy heart, Club Superstage is forced to cancel the Renties Ypres Rally Belgium, the penultimate round of the FIA ??2020 World Rally Championship. From 20 to 22 November, a round of the FIA ??World Rally Championship would be held in Belgium for the first time in history, but the current Covid-19 figures have decided otherwise.

While the volunteers of Club Superstage worked very hard in recent months on the preparation of the Renties Ypres Rally Belgium, the corona virus flared up again and the infection figures rose rapidly. To the extent that the Consultation Committee imposed strict measures to contain the spread of the virus, but in the meantime the pressure on hospitals and the care sector became very great and everyone was urged to stop social life.

"We have always fully supported the Renties Ypres Rally Belgium, but this time we cannot let the rally go ahead," says Emmily Talpe, Mayor of the City of Ypres.

"In close consultation with the organiser, the administrative authorities and the Cabinet of the Minister of the Interior, and based on the evolution of the pandemic in our region, it was decided that in the current circumstances it was irresponsible to allow the World Championship Rally to take place in Ypres. A governor's decision will be drawn up in line with the new evolution of the measures as decided in the today's meeting (October 30) and in line with the amendments to the ministerial order on the urgent measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19, taken on October 28 2020 by the National Security Council," confirmed governor Carl Decaluwé.

Health priority

Club Superstage continued to believe in the success of the first Belgian round of the World Rally Championship until the very last day.

"With the Monteberg Rally and the Aarova Rally, we organised two rallies in a Covid-proof manner in recent weeks, but we are not able to cope with the current outbreak of the virus. At the moment, the health of the population comes from the personnel in the healthcare sector, of our employees, of the participants and of all rally fans in the first place," Jan Huyghe of Club Superstage said. "We followed the health crisis in close consultation with the local authorities. Unfortunately, the numbers continued to rise dramatically. The Ypres Rally has been a leader in safety in Europe for years. This time health is also added to the mix. We therefore fully understand the current decision. "

Future in the WRC

"This is of course a huge disappointment for all our volunteers who have proven to be able to organise a WRC round in the short term," said Alain Penasse, President of Club Superstage. "Hopefully our efforts and investments have not been in vain. We have proven to the FIA ??and the WRC Promoter that we can shift quickly and that we can organise the Renties Ypres Rally at WRC level. This cancellation was inevitable, but we are continuing our WRC ambition. Hopefully this cancellation is just a postponement. "

The feasibility of the World Championship in Ypres was proven by a top entry list with 140 teams. The popularity of rallying in Belgium has never been higher. The interest in tickets came from all over the world and the Ypres region was also on the world map in this area.

Club Superstage also wishes to express its thanks to our partners for their trust and belief in the WRC project. The organisation hopes to come through this crisis with their solidarity to organise a beautiful Renties Ypres Rally Belgium 2021 next year, if possible at the highest level.

Hyundai Motorsport names Craig Breen in Ypres Rally Belgium line-up

Posted: October 9, 2020 2:28 PM

Hyundai Motorsport has revealed its crew line-up for the seventh round of the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Ypres Rally Belgium, with Craig Breen joining regular drivers Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak.

Breen will also compete in two local rallies in the build-up to the event, the first-ever WRC round to be held in Belgium, to gain experience in a WRC car on tarmac. The Irishman and co-driver Paul Nagle, who finished second in Rally Estonia to score their first podium for Hyundai Motorsport, will contest the Aarova Rally Oudenaarde (October 10-11) and the South Belgian Rally (October 24-25) in a Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC.

The two national events will offer valuable seat time and experience for the crew as they prepare for their first tarmac WRC round with Hyundai Motorsport, which will undoubtedly prove crucial in the hunt for this year’s championship title.

Breen impressed at Ypres last year in an R5, taking a resounding victory, so he brings important experience to the team as the event assumes championship status for the first time this season.

Breen said:
“I am delighted to get the call up for Ypres Rally Belgium with Hyundai Motorsport. I really enjoyed last year’s event, when I got a victory, myself and Paul, when it was held in the summertime in conditions that I imagine are very different to what we’ll see in November. I am looking forward to my first tarmac rally with the team and in the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, in addition to the Aarova and South Belgian rallies that we will do in October in Belgium. It will give us valuable seat time and an opportunity to understand the conditions we are likely to face at Ypres. I hope we’ll be able to repeat the sort of performance and result that we had in Estonia, which will be important for the manufacturers’ championship.”

Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Andrea Adamo said:
“Craig and Paul showed in Estonia what they can achieve when they have the correct tools to do the job. They both demonstrated their strength in Ypres last year - winning in a rival R5 car - so they bring invaluable experience and knowledge of this event to our team. The championship has closed up as a result of our 1-2 in Estonia, so we have to continue to field our strongest line-up in each of the few final rounds. I believe Craig and Paul are the best crew to join Thierry/Nicolas and Ott/Martin in Ypres to help us finish the year as strongly as we can. They will have important seat time in the two local tarmac events, the Aarova and South Belgian rallies, to add to their experience of the event, the car and our team.”

2020 FIA JUNIOR WRC CHAMPIONSHIP TO CONCLUDE IN BELGIUM

Posted: October 9, 2020 2:26 PM

The final round of the 2020 FIA Junior WRC Championship will be held on the flat-out asphalt roads of Renties Ypres Rally Belgium from November 19-22, which is scheduled as the final round of the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship.

The Belgian classic, which has been running for 55 years, is expected to provide the perfect finale for the hugely competitive FIA Junior WRC Championship, with unpredictable and changeable weather on one of Europe’s most challenging sealed surface rallies. Three gruelling days of fierce competition over 300 competitive kilometres await this year’s crews, all in identical, Pirelli shod M-Sport Poland-built Ford Fiesta Rally4 cars.

The event will be made up of a series of tight asphalt roads lined by ditches that drivers will be keen to avoid, especially those fighting for the highly-coveted FIA Junior WRC Championship and a chance to win their own Ecoboost-powered Fiesta Rally2. The final leg of the rally promises a dramatic finish to the championship battle at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, home to Formula One’s Belgian Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Spa endurance race and the Spa World Rallycross of Benelux for the second time in 2020.

Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Team Director, said:
“The FIA Junior WRC Championship always promises to take the future stars of WRC to some of the most iconic rallies on the calendar and an opportunity to sample every type of surface on the WRC calendar. Renties Ypres Rally Belgium is a, very special rally that has retained much of its character over the years and watching our crews navigate the tight and technical roads throughout West Flanders will be an exciting prospect. I am, happy for all of our competitors that we are able to deliver four rounds on this year’s calendar, losing only one round from the original schedule.. As the asphalt event will be the final round of the championship, drivers that have competed in two rounds of the championship previously will see their classification points multiplied by 1.5. As always, drivers with who have competed on every round of the championship will be able to drop their worst score.”

Belgium added to 2020 FIA World Rally Championship

Posted: August 19, 2020 7:35 AM

Belgium will host a round of the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time after Renties Ypres Rally Belgium was added to the 2020 calendar.

The asphalt event will take place on 19 - 22 November, replacing Rally Japan as the eighth and final round of the season.

Japan’s return to the WRC after a 10-year hiatus has been regrettably called off due to border entry restriction policies imposed by the government due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Belgium will become the 34th nation to stage a WRC round since the series started in 1973.

Ypres was first held in 1965 and has become established as one of Europe’s most demanding rallies. Previous winners include current Hyundai Motorsport WRC driver and home hero Thierry Neuville in 2018 and team-mate Craig Breen last season.

It will feature about 300km of special stages across three full days of competition. Sunday’s final leg will be focused on the iconic Spa race circuit, with the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage featuring the famous Eau Rouge / Raidillon section of the track.

A service park in the heart of Ypres’ historic Grote Markt will be the rally hub and Simon Larkin, WRC Promoter’s senior director events, said the rally would provide a unique test for competitors.

“For many years Ypres was a hugely popular cornerstone of the FIA European Rally Championship. Its elevation to the WRC will provide one of the sternest challenges of the year for competitors and a fitting finale to the 2020 season,” he said.

“Its tricky mix of narrow asphalt lanes and big ditches lining the roads, allied with some stages in the dark and the potential for mixed weather, will provide plenty of thrills and spills for fans.”

FIA Rally Director Yves Matton said:
“We’re very disappointed Rally Japan will not happen this year due to the pandemic, in particular given all the hard work undertaken by the Japanese authorities, the Japanese Automobile Federation and the organising team. I thank them for that.

“Belgium has a great tradition and passion for rally, evidenced by the number of Belgians in various roles – drivers, mechanics, team principal, journalists – in the WRC. The route will showcase the DNA of the rally as it crosses the country by linking Ypres to Spa-Francorchamps, two iconic venues of Belgian motorsport,” he added.

Jan Huyghe, board member for Ypres promoter Club Superstage, said it had always been an ambition of the club to host a WRC round in Belgium.

“It’s a tremendous honour because as an organiser you always want to reach the highest level,” he added.

“Ypres Rally has a cast-iron reputation in terms of organisation and safety and the city of Ypres has had the rally in its genes for 56 years. Rally is integral to the region and we receive a lot of support and facilities from the city to organise our rally in a unique historical context.”

A disappointed Koji Takahashi, chairman of the Rally Japan 2020 executive committee, said the focus would now turn to preparations for the 2021 event in the Aichi and Gifu regions. Japan is one of nine rounds already confirmed for next season’s FIA WRC calendar.

Liam Egan & Cal McCarthy place entries.

Posted: June 16, 2020 1:46 PM

Renties Ypres Rally: new date October 1-3

Posted: May 20, 2020 4:36 PM

A few days ago Club Superstage confirmed the Renties Ypres Rally would be postponed, but today they can announce the new date for the headliner event. The Renties Ypres Rally 2020 will be held from October 1 to 3.

The Renties Ypres Rally is one of the biggest sporting events of the year in Belgium. Club Superstage works with a large team of volunteers for the whole year to prepare. Additionally, the route of the rally is spread over several municipalities, and as such many other local events must be taken into account. Other international events like Ghent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders classic cycling events must also be considered. Therefore, it was a quite complex puzzle to find a new date. After consultation with all local governments and federations, the Renties Ypres Rally, and the Bernard Degroote Ypres Historic Rally, will be held from 1 to 3 October.

"The corona crisis and the ban on sports until July 31 have forced us, for the first time, to postpone the Renties Ypres Rally into autumn," said Club Superstage president Alain Penasse. "It was a complicated puzzle to find a suitable date together with all parties. We will do everything we can to put on a great rally during the first weekend of October. With this date in early October, the Ypres Rally is also an ideal preparation for the World Rally Championship round in Germany. It will undoubtedly be a new challenge for the drivers to complete the well-known special stages in the autumn. The participants will have to finish more tests in the dark. In a way, we will return to the roots. "

Good news for the drivers looking forward to go rallying again: registrations for the event are open on the event website, link below.

Event Postponed

Posted: April 30, 2020 5:24 AM

The coronavirus continues to grip the country and it is impossible to organize a major international sporting event like the Renties Ypres Rally before summer. The health of the participants, employees and spectators comes first for Club Superstage the dynamic organising body, and as such they have made the decision to postpone the Renties Ypres Rally.

Superstage is currently busy finding alternative dates for the Le Seau Monteberg Rally, the Renties Ypres Rally and the Ypres Historic Rally. Negotiations with the federations, city and municipal authorities are in full swing. We hope to be able to communicate a definitive answer to all fans and participants next week. Thanks for your understanding.

Event Website

Posted: April 30, 2020 5:23 AM

Ypres Rally