This second leg of the second day of the 47th Geko Ypres Rally saw the drivers cross the border into France and drive back through two of the great classics of the Westhoek : Hollebeke and the famous Kemmelberg. We were looking forward to this leg and it was indeed eventful, especially at the top of the ranking...
... or was it ? Rest assured, Freddy Loix (Škoda Fabia S2000) still is the Mr Untouchable of the 2011 event. But things are settling as Fast Freddy increased his lead by 'only' 10'' on Bryan Bouffier (Peugeot 207 S2000) on the 50 kms that were run. The BFO driver was pretty honest about lifting off: « I am now trying to control the race so I am not pushing anymore ». He actually got some help from Guy Wilks (Peugeot 207 S2000) who lost more than 5 minutes on SS10 (Hollebeke) when suffering two punctures. The Englishman was relegated to the 11th spot and Bryan Bouffier moved up to second. For him this is an excellent result in the IRC so he will probably also try to stay out of trouble. Now whether it is all over...
Hollebeke did claim more victims than only Wilks. Andreas Mikkelsen (Škoda Fabia S2000), who started again under the SupeRally rules, Toni Gardemeister (Škoda Fabia S2000) and Luca Rossetti (Abarth Punto S2000) all suffered punctures in this same stage. This shook up things in the top 10. The guys benefiting were Patrick Snijers (MINI Countryman S2000) and Michal So?owow (Ford Fiesta S2000). Luca Betti (Peugeot 207 S2000) also had to retire after driving his car into the scenery. And while Bouffier celebrated his trip through France with a best-time overall in Lille-Eurométropole, Pieter Tsjoen (Peugeot 207 S2000) had to retire after a simply stupid accident. « I stopped just after the finish to check the tyre pressure and when driving off again I did not notice a metal rod. It went straight through the radiator.»
The fight for third place is really on between the Škoda Fabia S2000's of Bernd Casier and Hans Weijs. It is Bernd who came back to Ypres ahead of Weijs who spun on SS13. We sure did not get bored this afternoon! So in summary, we now see Snijers and So?owow in 5th and 6th while Wilks sneaks back into the top 10. Other top 10 drivers are Karl Kruuda, Mark Van Eldik and Bernhard Ten Brinke (who hit a tree and a wall not far into SS13). They all drive a Škoda Fabia S2000.
In Class 3 Jonas Langenakens managed to increase his lead over Anthony Martin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) from 30'' to 46'' and after a serious battle, we see Cédric Cherain slowly creeping away from Kris Princen. The two Renault Megane RS are separated by 16''6 now. Kevin Abbring (Citroën DS3 R3T) now comes in 15th place while the top 3 of the Citroën C2 R2 Max did not change: Kevin Demaerschalk, Xavier Baugnet and Nicolas Damsin. On the Ford side, we still saw some change as Manuel Canal-Roblès and Nikias Priem retired. The first because he went off, the second one hit engine problems. Vincent Verschueren and Bob Kellen are now behind Claudie Tanghe who clearly leads the debates. As the latter does actually not participate to the Trophy, it will be Frédéric Perrard of France who will take the lowest podium spot.
Ranking after SS13
1. Loix-Miclotte (Škoda Fabia S2000), 1:48'46''0 ;
2. Bouffier-Panseri (Peugeot 207 S2000), + 1'41''3 ;
3. Casier-Caesemaeker (Škoda Fabia S2000), + 3'05''0 ;
4. Weijs-Degandt (Škoda Fabia S2000), + 3'11'5 ;
5. Snijers-Gitsels (Mini Countryman S2000), + 3'46''1 ;
6. So?owow-Baran (Ford Fiesta S2000), + 4'40''8 ;
7. Kruuda-Järvegia (Škoda Fabia S2000), + 5'10''6 ;
8. Van Eldik-Buysmans (Škoda Fabia S2000), + 6'00''5 ;
9. Ten Brinke-Thierie (Škoda Fabia S2000), + 6'06''2 ;
10. Wilks-Pugh (Peugeot 207 S2000), + 6'07''7 ;
...
