Adrien Fourmaux: “It’s a great pity what happened to Stéphane. I would have preferred to continue the battle on the stages. The course was difficult.”
Chris Ingram: “We got a ‘red flag’ signal in the car on SS 7, so I let off the gas. We remain second with our norm time. The adjustments in the final lap were a lot better.”
Freddy Loix: “This Fabia RS just suits me very well. On the test, immediately had the differential changed and from that moment on I knew the car would be at the top. I can get on the accerlator very early and this car makes the difference in the slow situations, where he is very efficient. No, I’m not going to chase Fourmaux tomorrow. This third place is already better than expected.”
Cédric Cherain: “I have to drive smart, to consider the championship. We are on target in that respect.”
Bernd Casier: “In Messines the engine stopped running. I feared an engine failure, but the problem had disappeared in the final test in Langemark. Strange. I was also held up in Mesen by Ingram, so hopefully we will get a decent standard time there…”
Patrick Snijders: “I drove two stages tonight without power steering due to a loose hose. Very unfortunate, but I fear that the Clio Rally3 is simply too fast in our class. That car has 30 hp more … Then it is no longer fun.”
Charles Munster: “This is my first competition in Ypres. On the first three stages I thought “fucking hell”, this is difficult when cutting. It is a dance from one corner to another but I’m starting to enjoy it.”
Gilles Pyck: “I’m very proud of some promising times we drove, close to the likes of Vanneste and Cherain. I didn’t expect that in my second rally with the Hyundai. Tomorrow I’m going to push a little harder, but I don’t want to take excessive risks.”
John Wartique: “What a tough rally! You have no landmarks here.”
James Williams: “It’s getting better and better. We’ve already moved up to 9th, despite being 21st on the road. The pace is good! It’s clear that the Fiesta has evolved a lot since the start of the year.”
Bjorn Syx: “I’ve always driven rear-wheel drive cars, mostly BMWs that are 30 years old – even when I was still racing autocross. I have to completely change my driving style, because I like to play with the gas when exiting a corner, but that doesn’t work in a Rally2. Then the differential doesn’t respond in the same way so you lose turbo pressure and what not. I have to accelerate all at once. I still have to learn a lot…”
BRC Historic and BRC Juniors
At the Historics, Paul Lietaer leads the competition after day 1. The Opel Ascona 400 driver, who will turn 66 next Tuesday, had to share the stage wins with Stefaan Stouf, his main competition for many years. The Nieuwpoort fishmonger achieved one best time more than Lietaer (1 trial was neutralised), but the one-minute penalty administered before the start by unauthorized reconnaissance left Stouf chasing the lead. Between Lietaer and Stouf, Pieter-Jan Maeyaert (BMW M3 E30) is now in second place, 39.8 seconds behind. Stouf follows at 46.6 seconds, but fears the predicated heat tomorrow, which could cause turbo problems in the Ford Sierra Cosworth. The other BMW drivers Didier Vanwijnsberghe and Cedriek Merlevede complete the top-5.
7.9 seconds. That is the difference in the BRC Juniors between Jonas Dewilde (Renault Clio Rally4) and Tom Heindrichs (Opel Corsa Rally4), in favour of the West Fleming. At the end of the first lap, Dewilde had some doubts, after the Clio gave a strange feeling at SS Langemark. It turned out that there was a mechanical problem, which the mechanics were able to repair just within the allotted time. Dewilde wants to go all out for victory in the Juniors, but the trophy for best Rally4 driver is also in the back of his mind. For his part, Heindrichs wants to bring his first drive in the Ardeca Ypres Rally to a successful conclusion. The local driver, Maxim Decock has not given up with the Opel Corsa, as he is only a good 40 seconds behind the leader.
