The 61st Ardeca Ypres Rally was ultimately decided in the rain. On Saturday morning, Watou, the opening Special Stage was battered by a heavy downpour. Despite being on dry-weather Michelins, Stéphane Lefebvre showed his world-class skills by leaving in his wake. Hayden Paddon, who started the final day as the leader, was caught off guard in the very first corner.
“It wasn’t meant to be, but once again a very enjoyable Ypres Rally,” commented Paddon who eventually finished sixth overall. “Unfortunately, we understeered wide into a ditch on the first stage this morning, and a puncture two stages later put us out of contention.
“The rest of the day was just about driving safely to get to the end and enjoy. Even so, pleasing for the Hyundai i20N to achieve 10 stage wins for us.”
Stéphane Lefebvre and Pieter Tsjoen controlled the rest of the second day. The Frenchman won the Ardeca Ypres Rally for the third time in a row, while Pieter Tsjoen set a unique record, as he won Ypres as a driver, co-driver, and team boss.
“We were much better prepared this year than last year. I knew the setups were good and I was able to match my pace on Friday to Hayden’s. Especially on the final stage on Friday evening, we were given split times to be just a fraction slower than Hayden Paddon. The right decision, because when Hayden went off the track in Watou, I didn’t have to attack on slicks in the rain anymore,” Lefebvre said.
“Conversely, I might have attacked too hard myself and Paddon could have capitalised on a mistake. That stage was incredibly treacherous. There was no grip, but I kept the pace high because I thought Maxime Potty was on rain tyres. In the end, that’s where we made the difference. And to think that we left Ypres on rain tyres, but fitted dry tires just before the start because it was still dry. What a stage!” laughed Lefebvre, for whom a victory in Ypres is an unbelievable achievement year after year.
Paddon went off the road in Watou, and while he was pushed back onto the road by the fans, he eventually lost another minute and a half due to a flat tyre. The New Zealander finished in sixth place with the Hyundai.
“It’s a shame, because I felt I had the speed this year to make things difficult for Stéphane. Unfortunately, things went wrong in Watou. That can happen. I am now even more motivated to come back next year, because I want to win this rally someday. We had a great time!” Paddon enthused.
Second place went to Maxime Potty, the leader in the Belgian Championship, managed the rally impeccably. “I have to admit that I just couldn’t quite keep up with Stéphane’s pace, but that wasn’t necessary because we also had to think about our position in the championship. I might have been able to drive the same rhythm for a few stages, but not for the entire rally,” Potty said.
Jos Verstappen had an unfortunate rally week. First, he rolled over on the Qualifying Stage, forcing the team to work all night to transfer the mechanics to another chassis. Then, on Saturday, he went off the track, precisely at the moment he was back in contention for a podium spot.
It was a welcome event for Potty. Verstappen’s misfortune was combined with Cedric Cherain’s choice to rally a Porsche, so Potty could really consolidate his title hopes. Cherian was also beset by misfortune as his engine issues scuppered his chances.
The final podium place went to a strong-driving Vincent Verschueren, who had already caused a surprise in qualifying with the second fastest time. Verschueren, who stood on the podium in 2015, successfully defended his third place against Bernd Casier, who once again proved himself a true “Ypres specialist.”
“A big thanks to Kris D’alleine Co-Driver for doing a great job and jumping straight in and adopting to a second language pacenote system and to the BMA team for a great car,” said Paddon.
“A big shout out also to the fans – always so welcoming here and without the fans this morning, we would still be stuck in the ditch. Also, a huge congrats to Stéphane Lefebvre on a third win in a row – always a pleasure to battle together and hope we can do it again.”
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