An inclusion of the classic event into the WRC with perfect timing

The WRC has been undergoing drastic schedule changes since 2020 due to the spread of Covid-19, with Ypres promoted to a WRC event in the intervening years.

When I first watched this rally in the late 1990s, I was amazed at the enthusiastic local support. I think the reason why Ypres, which has more than 50 years’ history and whose organisers’ quality is above the average WRC level, has stayed in the European Championship for so long, is due to the short stage distance for the WRC and the fact that the Belgian venue is nestled between major markets.

However, the pandemic caused a series of rally cancellations, and Ypres was promoted to the WRC when it came forward as an alternative event. In 2020, although the event had to be cancelled due to the spread of infections in Belgium, it was finally held as part of the WRC in 2021.

Such Ypres’ stages are a far cry from the usual tarmac rally image. The plain in the Flanders region where the event is held has no winding roads in the mountains and its main roads are a combination of straights and intersections weaving through the fields.   Ypres is extremely unique in that the sides of the road are not paved and both inside and outside of the corners are covered with dust, which is why local drivers have been strong since the European Championships days. The first year of the WRC was also won by local hero Thierry Neuville, Hyundai’s ace.

Hyundai and Toyota: A sharp contrast to the outcome

Neuville was again this year’s leading contender for the championship, but he started out late in the first SS of Day 1. Depending on the result this time, Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä would have been the champion, and on SS1, he led the rally, followed by his teammate Elfyn Evans It looked like Toyota had the upper hand but immediately after, on SS2, Rovanperä went off the road and rolled his car over.  This resulted in a retirement from the day with a heavily damaged car.

Evans took over the lead, but in the latter half of Day 1, the Hyundai team of Ott Tänak, the winner of the previous round in Finland and Neuville were in fierce pursuit. On SS7, Evans moved down as Neuville who set four consecutive fastest times in the second half of Day 1, took the lead with Tänak in 2nd, making it a 1-2 for the Hyundai team. The Toyota team followed suit, with Evans in 3rd and Esapekka Lappi in 4th. Craig Breen of Ford came in 5th.

Day 2 consisted of the longest distance of the rally, covering 133.22km/8 SSs. All eyes were on whether the Hyundais would dominate, or the Toyotas would recoup the lost ground, and in the first SS9, Tänak turned the tables on Neuville and took the lead. However, Neuville’s speed, which had faired relatively well even on the slightly unfavourable road conditions of the previous day, remained unwavering on this day. He regained the top position with the fastest time on SS11, and on SS12, setting an overwhelming time, and finishing the first half of Day 2 with more than a 15-second lead over 2nd place.

Neuville was also fastest on SS13 in the latter half of Day 2. On SS14, he drove cautiously, setting the 4th fastest time and consolidating his lead. He appeared to be in control of the rally for his second straight Ypres win. Yet, a momentary understeer occurred at a low-speed corner on SS15. The car’s unexpected behaviour caused Neuville to run off the road before he had time to react. With the help of spectators, he was able to get back on the road, but the suspension was broken, and at this point Neuville was forced to retire.

This put Tänak into 1st place. He tried to open the gap with Evans, who was right behind him, by setting the fastest time on SS15 and SS16 in succession to finish Day 2 with an 8.2-second gap. Lappi was in 3rd, but he was already a minute behind the top two cars, so the battle for the win on Day 3, the final day was down to Tänak and Evans.

Tänak clinched his second consecutive victory by winning the battle by a split-second margin

Day 3 in Ypres is a short stage distance of only 51km. So, what does the 8.2-second gap between leader Tänak and second-place Evans mean here? If nothing happens to both drivers, this gap will be difficult to fill, but it is also a gap that can easily be overturned by a momentary mistake. That was why Evans had to keep the pressure on Tänak.

Evans set the fastest time on the first SS17. However, Tänak followed close behind with the second fastest time, only shortening the time by one second. Evans won the following SS18 too. But Tänak was also 0.4 seconds behind, and a tightrope-walking battle continued. At the end of the first half of Day 3, the gap was 6.7 seconds. Time was running out for Evans.

Then, on SS19, a rerun of SS17, Tänak posted the fastest time to further consolidate his potential win. This widened the gap to 7.2 seconds. On the final SS20, the power stage, Tänak, with a win at stake, no longer needed to go for a fast time and was able to defend his 5-second lead over Evans, who had closed the gap with the second fastest time, to claim his second consecutive win following the Finland round.

A 10-second penalty for arriving late for time control on Day 1 turned out to be a heavy impact on Evans’ result, but this is also a rally. 3rd place went to Lappi following Finland, and Oliver, the son of former world champion Petter Solberg, finished his career-best in 4th. In 5th place was Takamoto Katsuta, who reported bad conditions of his car throughout the rally.
Championship leader Rovanperä’s team repaired his car despite a major crash on Day 1. He continued to run after Day 2 and set the fastest time on the power stage, daring to reduce the weight without carrying a spare tire. With 203 points, he is 72 points ahead of Tänak, who climbed to 2nd place. This time it was a standstill, but his title win is coming down the line.