Craig Breen has crashed out of Ypres Rally Belgium, running wide and rolling out into a ditch.
Breen had been fifth overall prior to SS10 Dikkebus, a classic Ypres Rally test. For the first time ever it is being run in the opposite direction, effectively making it a brand-new stage for everyone.
Breen, a former Ypres winner, has struggled so far in 2022 but was setting some strong pace on SS10, ahead of then-fastest Kalle Rovanperä on the splits.
But approaching a medium-speed left-hander, Breen ran wide into a ditch, rolled over and was immediately out of the rally.
Team-mate Gus Greensmith, who was passed by Breen on the stage after running off the road and into a field himself and breaking something on the rear-left, arrived at the scene and immediately got out to offer his fire extinguisher as Breen’s roll had singed the grass in the ditch.
By strange twist of fate a second M-Sport car, this time Adrien Fourmaux’s, also had a moment on the very same corner that caught Breen out.
Fourmaux, starting the stage before Breen, understeered wide and was seemingly about to head off into the ditch, but a conveniently-placed stack of haybales saved his bacon and bounced the Puma Rally1 back onto the road.
When Breen arrived at the corner, the haybales were no longer there.
