The Ardeca Ypres Historic Rally will once again count towards the FIA European Historic Rally Championship this year. Last season, the event already attracted a world-class international field, headlined by Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala, three-time World Rally Championship runner-up and winner of 18 WRC events. Forced to relinquish victory to Pieter-Jan Maeyaert and his BMW M3 E30 after mechanical problems struck his Toyota Celica 4WD, Latvala has already confirmed his return to Ypres for this year’s edition.
The field is set to become even stronger with the addition of another former World Rally Championship runner-up (1993): François Delecour. The Frenchman, originally from northern France and now living in Plan-de-la-Tour in the south of the country, where he was once a neighbour of Freddy Loix, has entered the event in the magnificent ex-Salanon Peugeot 306 Maxi prepared by Italian outfit Ike Racing, led by driver Andrea Zivian, better known by his nickname “Zippo”.
Delecour has always had a special connection with the Ypres stages, where he made a lasting impression during the early years of his career.
“I have fantastic memories of Ypres,” said Delecour. “I competed here in 1983 and 1984 with a small Talbot Samba and, in 1986, I won the N2 class together with Anne-Chantal Pauwels in a Peugeot 205 GTi. We finished 22nd overall! But Ypres can also be extremely challenging. At Watou, I rolled at high speed with a Peugeot 308 GTi. I’m sure I’ll still remember parts of the route, even though my last appearance here was already back in 2015, when I drove a Porsche 997 GT3.”
Now 63 years old, Delecour’s passion for rallying remains as strong as ever. Last weekend, he claimed victory at Switzerland’s Rallye du Chablais behind the wheel of the same Peugeot 306 Maxi.
“The Ike Racing Peugeot 306 Maxi is a fantastic car. The engine, transmission and suspension are all superb, and the team has done an outstanding job. We are very close to the factory car I was fortunate enough to drive from 1996 to 1998. The only real difference is that the works car was around 80 kilograms lighter. It remains an extremely competitive machine, although on the Ypres stages we may lose some traction exiting the many T-junctions compared to Latvala’s four-wheel-drive Toyota or the BMWs.”
Just like in the modern rally, the FIA European Historic Rally Championship field continues to grow in strength. Paul Lietaer has decided to focus on Historic competition this season. Lietaer will drive his Subaru Impreza WRC S5.
Defending winner Pieter-Jan Maeyaert returns with his BMW M3 E30. Additional BMW M3 E30 entries include Cedriek Merlevede, 2025 revelation Guillermo Bruneel, Wouter Lievens and Renato Travaglia.
Seb Perez will naturally be present with his spectacular Lancia Stratos. Another Lancia Stratos will be driven by Maxime Castelein. Poland’s Maciej Lubiak has opted for a Porsche 911, as have Italy’s Antonio Parisi and Belgium’s Stefaan Stouf.
This year, Historic competitors will tackle four timed stages already on Friday, June 26: Reninge, Zonnebeke, Kemmelberg and Zwarteberg, accounting for a total of 42 competitive kilometres.
On Saturday, June 27, two loops of five stages — Watou, Westouter, Dikkebus, Zillebeke and Mesen-Wijtschate — will add a further 130 kilometres against the clock, bringing the total competitive distance to 172 kilometres.
