The 61st Ardeca Ypres Rally, the fifth round of the Belgian Rally Championship, was a test for man and machine due to the heat. But, ultimately, the race would be decided in the rain. On Saturday morning, Watou was battered by a heavy downpour. Despite being on dry-weather Michelins, Stéphane Lefebvre showed his world-class skills by leaving in his wake. Hayden Paddon, who started the final day as the leader, was caught off guard in the very first corner.
Stéphane Lefebvre and Pieter Tsjoen controlled the rest of the second day. The Frenchman won the Ardeca Ypres Rally for the third time in a row, while Pieter Tsjoen set a unique record, as he won Ypres as a driver, co-driver, and team boss.
“We were much better prepared this year than last year. I knew the setups were good and I was able to match my pace on Friday to Hayden’s. Especially on the final stage on Friday evening, we were given split times to be just a fraction slower than Hayden Paddon. The right decision, because when Hayden went off the track in Watou, I didn’t have to attack on slicks in the rain anymore,” Lefebvre said.
“Conversely, I might have attacked too hard myself and Paddon could have capitalised on a mistake. That stage was incredibly treacherous. There was no grip, but I kept the pace high because I thought Maxime Potty was on rain tyres. In the end, that’s where we made the difference. And to think that we left Ypres on rain tyres, but fitted dry tires just before the start because it was still dry. What a stage!” laughed Lefebvre, for whom a victory in Ypres is an unbelievable achievement year after year.
Paddon went off the road in Watou, and while he was pushed back onto the road by the fans, he eventually lost another minute and a half due to a flat tyre. The New Zealander finished in sixth place with the Hyundai.
“It’s a shame, because I felt I had the speed this year to make things difficult for Stéphane. Unfortunately, things went wrong in Watou. That can happen. I am now even more motivated to come back next year, because I want to win this rally someday. We had a great time!” Paddon enthused.
Second place went to Maxime Potty, the leader in the Belgian Championship, managed the rally impeccably. “I have to admit that I just couldn’t quite keep up with Stéphane’s pace, but that wasn’t necessary because we also had to think about our position in the championship. I might have been able to drive the same rhythm for a few stages, but not for the entire rally,” Potty said.
Jos Verstappen had an unfortunate rally week. First, he rolled over on the Qualifying Stage, forcing the team to work all night to transfer the mechanics to another chassis. Then, on Saturday, he went off the track, precisely at the moment he was back in contention for a podium spot.
It was a welcome event for Potty. Verstappen’s misfortune was combined with Cedric Cherain’s choice to rally a Porsche, so Potty could really consolidate his title hopes. Cherian was also beset by misfortune as his engine issues scuppered his chances.
The final podium place went to a strong-driving Vincent Verschueren, who had already caused a surprise in qualifying with the second fastest time. Verschueren, who stood on the podium in 2015, successfully defended his third place against Bernd Casier, who once again proved himself a true “Ypres specialist.” Casier drives very few rallies in a season, but in Ypres, he is always able to compete for the podium. “I felt good in the Skoda right away this week. I had confidence, and that makes me want to compete for the podium spots. It’s a shame I made a mistake in Watou in the rain, because that’s where I might lose third place,” Casier said.
Fifth place went to Bjorn Syx, who could look back with great satisfaction on his annual event in Ypres with a fastest time on the Powerstage in Dikkebus and an earlier stage win in Mesen. He was followed by Hayden Paddon, Davy Vanneste, Emile Breittmayer (in a new Skoda), Gilles Pyck, and Nicola Stampaert.
In RC3, the battle narrowed down to a duel between Olivier Decoene and Dominique Bruyneel. Decoene held the lead for a long time, until a flat tyre cost him nearly two minutes, though he refused to give up easily. Decoene launched a resolute counterattack, closing the gap to within 20 seconds, but then decided to cut his losses. “I knew which stages I had to push hard one more time to prevent Olivier from getting too close,” a satisfied Bruyneel laughed. Benoit Verlinde, returning via Superrally after fuel tank issues, fought his way up to third place.
Lander Dhaene managed to claim the Stellantis Cup in his home region. He opened Friday with a stage win and maintained the lead throughout the entire rally. “We had a good start at our own pace and were immediately at the top. For me, it is certainly a rally that brings out emotions, but also a few minor issues, including a wrong tyre choice. Chesney Deroo and Lukas Thiele certainly didn’t make it easy for me and constantly stayed half a minute behind.”
Mathias Ver Eecke, behind the wheel of a Renault Clio Rally5 for the event, had an epic fight against himself RC5. He was ahead of the rest, needing to manage his own rally and he remained flawless, had a great time, and ultimately finished with a lead of more than five minutes over his closest pursuer.
In RC6, RACB promising driver Emilien Allart had his sights on victory for a long time, but on Saturday his teammate closed the gap again. It was an epic battle between the two, and it was Allart who blinked first going off the road heavily after a jump. As a result, teammate Nolann Lejeune won the battle in the Junior BRC. Local driver Brent Boudrez was the revelation of the rally, as he set a series of fastest times in front of his home crowd. Only a flat tyre caused loss of time.
