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  1. #421
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  2. Likes: Mirek (29th June 2017)
  3. #422
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    cut?


  4. #423
    Senior Member Mirek's Avatar
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    Yes, the place is in one of the videos already posted. We were there too
    Stupid is as stupid does. Forrest Gump

  5. #424
    Senior Member Mirek's Avatar
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    So... some reading for Dimviii and maybe someone else but I know that it's way too long PS A lot we saw is on videos (gianni123, devillers etc.) but I don't have the will to add videos to the text.

    After one year long pause I was back in Ypres. Again straight from Prague to shakedown but this time based on an advice from one German colleague I drove northern way (Prague-Dresden-Leipzig-Kassel-Dortmund-Venlo-Antwerpen-Nieuwkerke) instead of usual southern way (Prague-Nürnberg-Würzburg-Frankfurt-Köln-Liege-Lille-Nieuwkerke). It's totally same distance but the northern way is way faster. The only traffic jam on both ways I hit was in Antwerpen but at 3 p.m. it's natural. My friend drove the southern way and got stuck in traffic jams in both directions. So, if somebody of You travel something similar, take the northern way. Especially between Kassel and Dresden You can save a lot of time. Very low traffic, very few roadworks and nearly all the time no speed limit.

    The shakedown was a bit modified this year but we decided to take the usual section close to the finish. Mainly because we wouldn't likely meet each other that easily. This way we could drink some beer in the street service in Niewkerke and move to the stage only few minutes before the start. The most funny thing at shakedown was service of Verschueren - in the garage under a house There were many spectators (especially last few hundrewd meters before finish were really crowded) and the safety was somewhat more relaxed than usually - and this was both the first and the last time that somebody organized us somehow. First to crash was Cornelis at the most famous corners but spectators managed to get him out quickly. Another one was Lim. In that time I moved further so I saw it only from distance. I was told he broke rear wishbone and his car stood on the road. When spectators moved it onto the grass it cought fire so they had to move it back on the road. Thus the rest of second free run was canceled. For the QS we chose extremely fast corners with a bump at the entry which is year by year bigger. Abbring was wild, the Brits and Irish were wild but not that efficient, Neuville was brutal and Bouffier didn't look that special.

    After a lunch on the main square in Ypres and some walking and talking in service the rally was finally about to start.

    SS1 Zonnebeke - we did the recce and chose a place with very long overview from fast juntion right into medium R-L S-corner over small crest, 200 meters straight, braking over a crest into blind medium R-L S-corner. Basso was the first on the road and also the first to go off. He was lucky that he didn't get stuck in the ditch so he lost only few seconds. Most of the drivers looked rather precise, Bouffier for me fastest. Just like on shakedown many BRC competitors were too flamboyant. It was clear they have to start crashing soon. The wildest were Bogie and Henry if I remember.

    SS5 Hollebeke - this is a lovely stage and a really tough one. We chose the place where Jeff Moffet or Hayden Paddon crashed in the past, I just decided to take a bit different point of view from behind the cars. There is a famous don't cut place where many who don't know the place cut and crash. It wasn't any different this time. Strangely there was an anti-cutting obstacle before the start but spectators moved it away and marshals didn't care. Basso restarted engine in the distance before us - two corners after the one where Ahlin crashed in next loop. Bouffier didn't cut but nearly went of from pure speed in our "don't cut" corner. It was at least very nice to watch. First to have big moment from cutting was Yates I think. Aferwards Preston (how come he crashed in the same corner at the second run is beyond me). We moved then to another stage so we didn't see crashes of Meirion Evans, Vallentin or funny half spin of Williams.

    SS6 Dikkebus 2 - we chose a very fast bumpy downhill section with several fast corners which was rather crazy in the past. It was great again. I don't remember exactly but I think it was Abbring who looked fastest there. No big moments until we left. We just kept receiving photos and videos of crashed cars from other stages.

    SS8 Hollebeke 2 - very fast section slightly uphill with a big cut in a left hander behind the crest followed by heavy braking into a square junction left. Again my memory can't bring me names but I remember some drivers had hot moments at the exit from the cut. GT and gr.N drivers mostly didn't cut. I do remember Ingram to be very impressive there and also nice in the falling darkness with glowing all four brake discs. It was already pretty cold and we decided to leave so we missed the only chance to see the army Land Rovers. Pity, maybe next time. I just want to see this weirdness.

    SS9 Kemmelberg - medium right hand corner with cut and dirt after a very fast approach with a view maybe one kilometer long. Bouffier went a bit wide. Neuville without rear window. After few cars it started raining but the rain stopped quickly.

    SS11 Zillebeke - the place from previous photo. We could see them coming through a very dirty right corner than short straight against us and this superdeep cut right, quite slow but not that bad. Some drivers dug really deep including one Porsche, I think Delplace, or Vanneste. Someone went wide in the right corner before us, I think Anderson and someone in the next corner behind us but there we could not see. We could only read the tyre marks. Preston with opened boot and a rope flying behind him let Ingram pass. Tanghe possibly crashed or retired behind trees in a short downhill before us.

    SS12 Rennige - very fast rhytmical corners before heavy braking into square right junction. Bouffier on one gear only (I think third one). Abbring prety clean and tidy compared to the wild first day. For the whole day I had a feeling that it wasn't only the gearbox what he changed.

    SS14 Westouter - left hander behind a huge crest with very fast approach (you noticed the place for sure on the onboard of Abbring from the last stage). Some drivers jumped a bit, the craziest was Verschueren. Princen came late after a tyre change and so did Henry but his car didn't look like he rolled while he actually did.

    SS15 Kemmelberg 2 - Downhill with a slow right hand corner with a lot of dirt just after fast left one and following fast section. Nothing special happened, few drivers went a bit wide like if I remember Cronin.

    SS17 Zillebeke 2 - very long overview close after the start with a fast uphill section with a kicking bump in the last corner. Very spectacular place. Bouffier crazy, Abbring much calmer. Also Kobus and some others had a hot moment there. Ingram looked incredibly fast there.

    SS18 Reninge 2 - A very similar although another place to the first run of the same stage. Fast flowing corners with a cut around a building in the last one. Bouffier looked again more aggressive than Abbring but the time said otherwise. Some of the British guys had a hot moment there but I forgot who it was.

    SS20 Westouter 2 - Very long overview of a valley which I pointed on Abbring's onboard before. Really nice place where they take a deep cut in a ditch at speeds around 180 km/h which is just crazy to watch. A lot of drivers were already on a safe mode but at least the first two and Neuville were great.

    All in all it was a very nice event again. Thanks to Tommeke I could see incredible number of stages especially considering that the whole rally takes only a little more than 24 hours. The guys from British championship paid for lack of experience. They were driving often too flamboyant for Ypres stages. From them I really liked Cronin who was very consistent. Looked fast and in control everywhere. Others were often up and down from stage to stage. In the end I have to say that the top IRC years were better but it was still very nice edition. On the other hand now there was way more freedom for spectators. On all those stages we stood always where we wanted. It was also great to meet plenty of people including many forum members - TommekeB, wwbroe, Br21, dupanton, mousti, gianni123, Plhus...
    Last edited by Mirek; 29th June 2017 at 22:06.
    Stupid is as stupid does. Forrest Gump

  6. Likes: dimviii (29th June 2017),EightGear (29th June 2017),hsmed (30th June 2017),Jeppe (4th July 2017),leighton323 (30th June 2017),pantealex (30th June 2017)
  7. #425
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    nice summary Mirek,thanks mate!

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