Following the fully booked and exceptionally thrilling Bernard Degroote Monteberg Rally, Club Superstage now turns its full attention to the Ardeca Ypres Rally, set to take place on 26 and 27 June. Entries only recently opened, but the enthusiasm among competitors has already been remarkable. Within just a few hours, 50 entries had been received, and only two days later, the 100-entry mark had already been surpassed. Anyone still hoping to secure a place should not wait too long.
In terms of quality, Ypres once again promises a strong international line-up, both in the Belgian round of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship and in the Ardeca Ypres Rally itself, the flagship event of the Belgian Rally Championship Division 1.
With Hayden Paddon, one of Hyundai’s factory drivers in this season’s World Rally Championship, a genuine WRC star will be joining the field. The New Zealander made an impressive return to the Westhoek last year after a ten-year absence, showing tremendous pace in the BMA-run Hyundai i20 N Rally2. The 39-year-old led half of the event before eventually being forced to concede on Saturday afternoon under the relentless pressure from Stéphane Lefebvre. After the finish, Paddon made a promise to return to Ypres “to win.”
And Hayden Paddon keeps his word. In just a few weeks’ time, he will line up once again in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2, this time with experienced local co-driver Kris D’alleine alongside him.
“It’s always great to come back to Ypres. I have fantastic memories from both my appearances here, in 2013 and again last year. I honestly didn’t expect us to be so competitive last year, so naturally I’m setting the bar a little higher this time and aiming to go one better, although I realise the competition will probably be even stronger. I always enjoy pushing myself to find that little bit extra pace. I’m also really looking forward to working with Kris D’alleine for the first time, and I’d like to thank everyone who made this programme possible,” said Hayden Paddon, who claimed a podium finish in the WRC round in Croatia and is also set to contest Rally Japan in a Hyundai i20 Rally1.
Kris D’alleine is equally enthusiastic about the upcoming partnership with Paddon.
“Exactly 20 years ago, I contested my very first rally as a co-driver here in Ypres, in the Historic Rally, in a VW Golf GTI. It has always been a dream of mine to celebrate my 20th anniversary in Ypres alongside a top-level driver. A lot of hard work has gone into making this project happen over the past few months, and fortunately the Ardeca Ypres Rally fitted into Hayden Paddon’s schedule. Together with Hayden, I want to challenge for victory in Ypres, having already won the Historic event here in 2018.
For the first time, I’ll be calling pacenotes in English. After 20 years, I know the traps and challenges of Ypres very well, while Hayden’s raw speed as a WRC driver speaks for itself. I’m convinced this combination can work,” said Kris D’alleine.
“I would also like to thank AMS, a Ypres-based company also celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, along with Steyaert Verzekeringen, Ronny Steyaert Accountancy, Garage Ryan Delbaere and Autoglass Clinic for their support.”
With Grégoire Munster also having announced his participation in Ypres in another BMA Hyundai, the stage is already set for a WRC-level showdown between the New Zealander and the Belgian-Luxembourg driver.
