There were 87 teams who started the 60th Ardeca Ypres Rally, rolling over the start ramp from 3pm. The first loop was particularly exciting, with three different drivers taking the stage wins over the four stages.
Stéphane Lefebvre opened with the fastest time in Westouter, but Hayden Paddon then took over, before Dani Sordo set two fastest times in the Porsche 992 GT3.
Paddon, who is back in Ypres after 12 years, is in the lead after the first loop with a 4.9 second lead over Freddy Loix and 5.5 seconds over Lefebvre.
“That’s a surprise for me, because I still have a margin. I still have trouble reading the grip and sometimes I brake too early. I only looked at the rankings after the fourth stage and I thought I would be behind,” Paddon said.
Freddy Loix has made changes to his notes for the second loop, while Stéphane Lefebvre lost some time due to a faulty gearshift system. “We may also be missing some top speed,” said the Frenchman. Lefebvre found a last-minute solution to compete with the Toyota Yaris, but could not complete the shakedown as the car returned from the ERC round in Poland.
Davy Vanneste gave the fans a pleasant surprise. After a difficult qualifying attempt, where he made a mistake and only could take the 17th fastest time. The driver from Wervik is in fourth place 6.3 seconds behind the leader. Dani Sordo follows and the Spaniard surprises everyone with two fastest times. Clearly he has gained confidence in the Porsche 992 GT3.
Bernd Casier started strongly and lies in 6th, 8.8 seconds behind. Jos Verstappen follows and he is not satisfied with the feeling in his Skoda, particularly with the brakes. Cédric Cherain, is in 8th and 2nd in RGT, 12.1 seconds off the outright leader.
The man from Liège has a lot of respect for his WRC-level competitor. “It is an honour for me to be able to compete with Dani Sordo, a professional with 20 years of experience as a factory driver in the WRC,” said the Belgian champion. Niels Reynvoet and Romet Jürgenson complete the top 10.
Class RC3 is, as expected, completely dominated by the Clios. The lead after the first lap is in the hands of Christophe Merlevede. Despite a non-functioning handbrake, the man from Poperinge has a lead of 43.4 second advantage over Benoit Verlinde, who experienced problems with the fuel pump. Jochen Claerhout and last year’s RC3 winner Olivier Decoene are battling for third place, with a difference of 0.7 seconds.
Xavier Dekeyser lost a lot of time by briefly ending up in the ditch at SS Langemark, while Stefaan Crombez and Frederic Berville had to throw in the towel after going off. Maxim Decock and Lander Depotter, both with Opel Corsa, are not giving each other an inch in RC4. The difference after the first loop – 2.9 seconds.
Regional pilots Manuel Merlevede and Lander Dhaene have to settle for 3rd and 4th places. Lukas Thiele saw his chances of winning go up in smoke after a broken wheel, which cost him several minutes.
As expected, Lény Cols, making his debut in Ypres, has little or no opposition in RC5 with the Renault Clio RS. After the first loop, the championship leader is already more than half a minute ahead of fellow drivers Alexander Derez and Joachim Dequeker.
