It has been an exciting leadup to the Ardeca Ypres Rally with teams and drivers presenting their cars to the general public. Now it is time to get to work behind the wheel. The Noël Franklin Shakedown in Boezinge took place on Wednesday, the pilots were given their first chance to tune their cars on a closed test.
The weather gods smiled on the huge crowd, as a purely Flemish folk festival in the centre of the Sasdorp. Those at the drinks stands had more than their hands full serving the huge crowd, and the barbecue sausages proved popular. Those who arrived late had a walk ahead of them to reach the centre of Boezinge.
It was pleasantly busy in Boezinge once again, with a few thousand people enjoying the opening night of the rally week. A real VIP village had also been set up around the Katspel. Fans were able to enjoy a total of 342 passes over the stage, ensuring continuous action on the 4-kilometre special stage. The passages of a few top drivers, such as current BRC leader Jos Verstappen, multiple Ypres winner Patrick Snijers with the new Porsche 992 Rally GT, and also that of Clouseau frontman Koen Wauters, attracted the attention of the spectators. At the wheel of a Skoda Fabia Rally2, Koen Wauters will drive his first rally metres in the Westhoek.
Some teams realised that they would have extra work to do to get to the start of the Ardeca Ypres Rally due to an off or technical problem. These included BMW drivers Koen Decaestecker and Bert Vanderstichele, who parked their car in a Boezinge canal, and Mathias Colman (Citroën C2 R2), who had engine problems.
On Thursday from 6pm to 10 pm the Clarebout Potatoes Shakedown will be held in Nieuwkerke. It leads to the Qualifying Stage, which is not to be missed as it will determine the starting order for the top riders on Friday.
