RUBBER STAMP IMMINENT FOR YPRES’S UNIQUE WRC EVENT
Belgian round set for Spa and is due to be confirmed with an early October 2020 slot
The Ypres Rally’s inclusion on this year’s World Rally Championship calendar is set to be finalised this week with news that Rally Turkey bosses have agreed to organise their event seven days earlier than originally planned.
Motorsport News understands Rally Turkey will now take place from September 17-20 with the Ypres Rally slotting in from October 2-4, a date that organisers in Belgium have insisted is the only workable option.
Big Spa break
History will be made if the Ypres Rally does get elevated in status. While the opening two legs will be based around the historic market town, the third leg at Spafrancorchamps will coincide with the World RX of Benelux event at the Belgian Grand Prix venue.
It will be the first time that the WRC will have appeared on the same billing as another FIA world championship although the exact format has yet to be revealed in terms of how the World RX track will be incorporated into the itinerary.
Incredible challenge
Craig Breen, last year’s Ypres winner, said he would be “bouncing” if he was offered the chance to return to Belgium.
Although he is being tipped to drive the third factory Hyundai on Rally Estonia, his European Rally Championship programme remains his priority in 2020.
However, with no ERC event scheduled for the Ypres weekend, the Irishman has said he would jump at the chance if asked.
“It will be an incredible challenge,” Breen told Motorsport News. “Last year the rally was in June with really, really warm temperatures. In October it’s going to be a lot more tricky and a lot more muddy. The ditches and the sides of the roads will be that bit softer, the farming traffic will be more at that time of year so we will be in for a lot trickier Ypres than we know from before.”
New experience
Although Breen has knowledge of the Ypres Rally, he has yet to drive the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC on asphalt before.
“[Hyundai team-mate] Thierry [Neuville] did the rally last year in the world car and he did make a couple of remarks that it was fairly fast in places. It will be a challenge as things will be coming an awful lot faster than they do in the R5.
“I haven’t driven the Hyundai world car before on Tarmac and I haven’t done a Tarmac rally in a world car since Spain in
2018 and it’s a long old time so I’d definitely like to get back at it again.”