Ypres Rally Belgium – Day Two
Hyundai Motorsport continues to lead Ypres Rally Belgium, the ninth round of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), with Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja taking over at the top of the timesheets after a bittersweet Saturday for the team.
Overnight leaders Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe had looked set to consolidate their home advantage until an uncharacteristic off in the penultimate stage of the day forced their retirement. The pair had delivered a masterful performance up to that point, including several emphatic stage times.
Meanwhile, Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson stuck to their game plan as they continued a weekend of learning in their first Ypres event in WRC machinery. The crew kept their powder dry to move up to fourth place overall with a trouble-free day of learning.
Saturday’s itinerary was action-packed from the outset with Reninge (SS9/SS13, 15.00km) and Dikkebus (SS10/SS14, 14.29km) getting things underway. As Neuville adopted a considered approach to the opening test, Tänak moved into a slender 0.1-second lead before SS10 was curtailed due to a roll for Craig Breen. Several crews – including Neuville and Tänak – were allotted the joint fastest time.
It wasn’t long before the Belgian crew regained the upper hand as they claimed impressive stage wins in the following Wijtschate (SS11/SS15, 15.00km) and Hollebeke (SS12/SS16, 22.32km) tests. Heading into lunchtime service, Neuville held a 16.2-second lead over Tänak in second and a chasing Elfyn Evans in third.
Meanwhile, Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson stuck to their game plan as they continued a weekend of learning in their first Ypres event in WRC machinery. The crew kept their powder dry to move up to fourth place overall with a trouble-free day of learning.
Saturday’s itinerary was action-packed from the outset with Reninge (SS9/SS13, 15.00km) and Dikkebus (SS10/SS14, 14.29km) getting things underway. As Neuville adopted a considered approach to the opening test, Tänak moved into a slender 0.1-second lead before SS10 was curtailed due to a roll for Craig Breen. Several crews – including Neuville and Tänak – were allotted the joint fastest time.
It wasn’t long before the Belgian crew regained the upper hand as they claimed impressive stage wins in the following Wijtschate (SS11/SS15, 15.00km) and Hollebeke (SS12/SS16, 22.32km) tests. Heading into lunchtime service, Neuville held a 16.2-second lead over Tänak in second and a chasing Elfyn Evans in third.
The afternoon loop continued to favour the local crew with another stage win – their eighth of the event - but the repeat of Wijtschate saw disaster strike as they misjudged a dirty left-hand corner and pitched their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 into a ditch. The resultant damage forced the duo into a frustrating retirement from a healthy lead. They will re-join the rally on Sunday determined to fight for some consolatory Power Stage points.
Their Estonian team-mates topped the timings in the second Wijtschate stage to move to the front of the field, extending the gap to Evans - now in second place - to 6.3 seconds. That was increased yet further as the crew secured the team’s 12th fastest time of the weekend with a confident run through Hollebeke 2.
For the team, despite retaining first place, the loss of a potential 1-2 result in a rally at which the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 has shown such competitive pace remains a huge frustration and disappointment.
Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
- Took the lead in SS9, but late morning transmission issues slowed progress
- A strong afternoon with two stage wins, picking up the lead of the rally by 8.2 seconds
Tänak said: “In the morning, we were struggling with the transmission, which left us with inconsistent four-wheel drive. At lunchtime, we were able to change it, although it was a different setting, so it took me some time to adapt. In the end, I could trust it and got used to it. We had a generally good afternoon loop. It was a shame what happened to Thierry. Tomorrow will be a bit like Finland take two; we will have a big push in the morning, but it will be far from easy. Elfyn has been doing a good job, so we’ll have to see what tomorrow brings.
Crew Notes: Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (#2 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
- Solid day for the crew as they moved from seventh to fourth overall
- A 14.3-second gap to Adrien Formaux in fifth with four stages remaining
Solberg said: “We have stuck to our plan today but have also shown some good pace as we climbed up the standings. This morning’s loop was good, even if we were fighting some understeer and carrying an extra spare tyre. We made some changes at lunchtime service and the car felt much better, with thanks to my engineer and the team. In the afternoon, we felt the extra weight of the spare tyre on some fast corners, but it was safety first. It was sad what happened to Thierry in his home rally, it is never nice, especially when you have fans and family watching. Now it is important for the team to bring both cars home on the final day. We have some short but tricky stages to negotiate, and with a small gap to Formaux everything is still open. We have to keep our nose clean.”
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
- Dominant performances for the Belgian crew in SS11, SS12 and SS13 to build 18.3s lead
- Retired for the day after getting caught out in SS15 and ending up in a ditch
Neuville said: “A huge disappointment for the whole team and for all of our fans, who have been numerous on the stages all weekend. I came to a slow left-hand corner in SS15, on quite slippery tarmac, and it was full of dirt from the cars in front. There was nothing in our pace notes and we weren’t aware it could be that tricky. When the gravel crew passed through, it was still clean, so we were just caught by surprise. Nothing we could do, I just understeered into a ditch. The car didn’t have much damage but unfortunately, we couldn’t make it to the end and had to retire there. The target was clearly to get the victory, to give something back to the fans who have been an absolute joy this weekend. It is what it is and we’re really disappointed, but we go again tomorrow for a few more kilometres and will try to put on a show.”
Deputy Team Director Julien Moncet said: “We can only share the incredible disappointment for Thierry and Martijn after they retired from the lead of their home rally. They had a very strong day, consolidating their lead stage after stage, until they lost the car in a slippery corner that forced them to stop. They will be back tomorrow to fight for Power Stage points. We can at least take some consolation from the fact that another Hyundai i20 N Rally1 was right behind and could take over the mission. Ott and Martin have been fighting the whole day for the lead. There were some concerns in the opening loop with the performance of the transmission, but the team fixed it at service which allowed the crew to fight back. For Oliver and Elliott, it was again a safe approach with the sole target of bringing the car home and gaining experience. Some changes to their set-up at service allowed them to find good pace, and they’ve moved up to fourth overall. For Ott, now it is game on tomorrow to finish this rally with the victory.”
Sunday at a glance
- Four stages remain on the Ypres Rally Belgium itinerary – a repeated run through Watou (SS17/SS19, 12.36km) and Kemmelberg (SS18/SS20, 13.31km)
- A total stage distance of just 51.34km builds to the climactic Power Stage where additional points will be awarded to the five fastest crews.
Classification after Day Two
| 1 | O. Tänak | M. Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | 1:58:55.2 |
| 2 | E. Evans | S. Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +8.2 |
| 3 | E. Lappi | J. Ferm | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1:09.8 |
| 4 | O. Solberg | E. Edmondson | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +2:51.6 |
| 5 | A. Fourmaux | A. Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 | +3:05.9 |
| 6 | T. Katsuta | A. Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +5:39.3 |
