“The challenge of the three-cylinder appeals to me”
The line up for the 59th Ardeca Ypres Rally is gradually taking shape and the starting field looks very strong. All the Belgian stars will start on 21-22 June in Ypres, and they will be chasing the one driver with 11 wins and that victory record, Freddy Loix. This year, the record holder will bring something new, as he will join fellow Belgian legend and team boss, Pieter Tsjoen. Fast Freddy will present the Toyota Yaris GR Rally2 to the Belgian public with Tsjoen in the navigator’s seat. It brings Loix back to his roots in Ypres, as Freddy won the Ypres Rally for the first time in 1996, in a Toyota, then a Celica. It was the start of an illustrious career.
“The idea to drive the Toyota Yaris GR came from Pieter Tsjoen. Through Jari-Matti Latvala we had the opportunity to test the Yaris GR on asphalt in Croatia, as part of the WRC competition. It was a complete test that day, not only as we were the only team to test the Toyota, but also because they were interested in my findings and feedback. At the end of the day, we decided to drive the Yaris first Wervik and then in Ypres really appeals to me. I have done a lot of work as a test driver in my career, so I can use that experience,” says Freddy Loix.
The first introduction to Croatia was not easy. “I did not expect the adjustment to be so difficult. The Yaris has a 1.6 turbo three-cylinder under the hood. That makes the Toyota completely different from all the other cars I have driven. The sound of the engine causes confusion. I really must look at the shift lights to know when to shift, while in a four-cylinder I just do that by feel. You also don’t know how much torque and power is coming based on the sound and the speed, so it is a big adjustment.”
Freddy was a test driver for Skoda for more than 10 years, where he developed various rally cars. However, this does not mark the start of a second career as a test driver for Toyota. “No, certainly not. I don’t have time for that, but I am sure that the Yaris GR has evolved significantly since it debuted in Monte-Carlo. It is five months later, and the team has gathered a lot of experience and data to contribute to the development of the car.”
Last season, Freddy Loix was at one point the best Belgian in the rally and he seemed to be heading towards a podium finish, until he suffered a puncture. This time the bar is lower.
“This year I will start with fewer rallies and therefore less rhythm. Moreover, we also must get the Toyota to my liking in a very short time. We will know more about the possibilities after Wervik and a good test day, but I’m not worried about the result. I realise that there will be a lot of hard driving in the Belgian championship this year,” concludes Freddy Loix.
Freddy has a lot of respect for the current leader in the BRC, Niels Reynvoet, whom he coached.
“I knew that Niels had the potential. Three years ago, he took stage wins in the rain, when all the top drivers were still going all out. Then you know that the boy can drive a car. He just lacked a consistent performance, but that is experience. You should also not forget that Niels has been a cyclist for a long time, while other pilots don’t have that experience. He now also has the maturity and calmness to know what he can do and where his limits lie. He has a good sense of what pace he can push at over a rally,” concludes Freddy Loix.
But, rest assured that Freddy Loix will not just lie back and give the victory away in Ypres…
