Finally, Ypres Rally is joining the World Rally Championship line-up after an aborted attempt last November for Belgium to bolster the COVID-19-ravaged schedule.
It will be a new challenge for the majority of the crews to take on the classic that is Ypres. Only the Belgian Thierry Neuville and team-mate Craig Breen have taken on the stages before, winning in 2018 and 2019 respectively, so Hyundai are the team to beat.
Championship leader Sébastien Ogier is expected to benefit at last from his first on the road running position on Friday’s asphalt stages making him, as always, one to watch out for during the event.
Friday and Saturday’s routes contain many of Ypres’s classic stages including Kemmelberg, Dikkebus and Watou, while on Sunday the crews will take on the roads in and around the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Here’s all the facts and figures you need to know ahead of the weekend.
Leading entries
1 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Toyota Yaris WRC)
33 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota Yaris WRC)
11 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
69 Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota Yaris WRC)
8 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
18 Takamoto Katsuta/Keaton Williams (Toyota Yaris WRC)
42 Craig Breen/Paul Nagle (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
44 Gus Greensmith/Chris Patterson (Ford Fiesta WRC)
16 Adrien Fourmaux/Renaud Jamoul (Ford Fiesta WRC)
7 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Florian Haut-Labourdette (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Ypres Rally entry breakdown
Total 108 crews
10 Priority 1 crews
5 Priority 2 crews (WRC2)
19 Priority 3 crews (WRC3)
6 Priority 4 crews (WRC4)
68 non-priority crews
Ypres Rally itinerary
Friday August 13
Shakedown Langemark (6.09 miles) 0801
SS1 Reninge – Vleteren 1 (9.32 miles) 1336
SS2 Westouter – Boeschepe 1 (12.17 miles) 1425
SS3 Kemmelberg 1 (14.67 miles) 1515
SS4 Zonnebeke 1 (5.87 miles) 1609
SS5 Reninge – Vleteren 2 (9.32 miles) 1815
SS6 Westouter – Boeschepe 2 (12.17 miles) 1904
SS7 Kemmelberg 2 (14.67 miles) 1954
SS8 Zonnebeke 2 (5.87 miles) 2048
Saturday August 14
SS9 Hollebeke 1 (16.06 miles) 0911
SS10 Dikkebus 1 (7.76 miles) 1008
SS11 Watou 1 (8.46 miles) 1101
SS12 Mesen – Middelhoek 1 (4.96 miles) 1305
SS13 Hollebeke 2 (16.06 miles) 1411
SS14 Dikkebus 2 (7.76 miles) 1508
SS15 Watou 2 (8.46 miles) 1601
SS16 Mesen – Middelhoek 2 (4.96 miles) 1651
Sunday August 15
SS17 Stavelot 1 (5.62 miles) 0830
SS18 Francorchamps 1 (6.96 miles) 0908
SS19 Stavelot 2 (5.62 miles) 1040
SS20 Francorchamps 2 (6.96 miles) 1218
