Ypres Rally 2015

[Mirek]

Bouffier crashed in the second stage and if the suspension was broken nobody could say a thing. He was lucky with that too.

[Mirek]

Great video from Devillers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOkLkBk5lZc

Thanks to Tommeke for bringing me as well to the places which You can find on the video (those which looks craziest )

[dimviii]

cuts

[Mirek]

Those cuts through the field are in this great full HD video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmLHYMekxN0

And we were there too, although only for the second run

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Loix luck was his puncture only cost seconds, Bouffier's cost minutes.

Also Breen's run into a field didnt deserve retirement.

Either could have won.

[tommeke_B]

If his puncture... If his off... If he hadn't... If my aunt had balls she would be my uncle. There's no need to argue, the classification is official... This sport is (as so many) partly decided by luck. It's just interesting how some drivers almost always have good luck and others always have bad luck, or is there something more...?

Anyway I enjoyed the rally a lot. For me personally this was the best edition of Ypres Rally I've seen so far, I start to appreciate my home event more and more. This year had shorter stages, less SS kms, but the stages themselves were more interesting for both drivers and spectators. Only the itinerary could be better. The battles in both R5 and R2 were epic. I don't have time for a proper review as I'm leaving to Poland in one day, but sure Mirek will write some interesting things.

[Mirek]

I promised to write something about the my rally... So it was again great event. I have to repeat what I said last year. It keeps becoming easier for spectators every year. This time we visited SD/QS and 9 stages and I haven't seen a single case of safety helicopter or safety car moving spectators. The marshals and atmosphere around the stages was generally very relaxed and friendly. It's probably useless to repeat how great the atmosphere in the old town is but I have to. That's something special about Ypres. You can sit in the restaurant on the historic square together with team members and being part of the rally all the time. You can park Your car just a hundred meters from the market square/service, You can sit in a beer garden, buy some sweets, visit the war museum or have a look on the town from the belfry tower and You are still in the service park!

It was also great to meet many forum members. Some I knew from the past, some not. I met namely Tommeke_B, wwbroe, CWJ, dupanton, mousti, gianni123 and PLuto (I hope I didn't forget someone). Thanks guys for a great time!

What to say about the sporting side of the event? Abbring was just crazy. Everybody thought he would soon crash and he did. Breen and Lefebvre looked both very fast and flamboyant. They payd for their mistakes. Bouffier was interesting. Sometimes he looked crazy, sometimes on the other hand he was very clean and tidy. Funny thing was that when I congratulate one of his mechanics he told me he couldn't still believe the car was able to hold till the finish (they have had a lot of technical problems with the car through the season here in CZ). I have already commented Loix, Dumas and Delecour and so I wouldn't repeat the same again.

During the shakedown we spoke with Tommeke about Irish drivers as all of them without exception took really aggresive and risky approach. We were joking to bet if all of them go eventually off and in the end they all did. Some were more lucky, some less. The funny thing is that the only one who finished was the most crazy-looking. McCormack was really trying hard but despite his numerous offs the car somehow managed to survive till the end. Nevertheless the Irish guys were very spectacular!

About our Czech drivers and teams. I think they did good job. There were six cars of Czech teams (Bouffier, Tarabus, Orsák, Tlusťák, Kristiansen and Štajf) on the start and all of them finished without some major technical problems which is quite remarkable in a rally where nearly a half of the crews retired. There was also no Škoda retirement from six cars at the start and in the end they all took half of the places in top 12. About the drivers I was quite happy about Tarabus. He was in Ypres for the first time and he took the rally quite nicely without any major moments. He looked neat and tidy on fast places and quite spectacular in slow ones. Pity of his puncture on first Kemmelberg. Orsák was more flamboyant but he was in Ypres for I think third time. On the other hand he was on Hankooks.

Few words about two-wheel drive drivers. Since the shakedown it was clear it's Opels who will make the show. The suspension of Adams looked so much better than 208. All 208 without an exception show always some rear axle movement in the corners or in heavy braking. Opels are like stuck to the ground. They look like some go-karts. Really impressive. The other thing was drivers. Griebel was extremely clean, was doing nearly no cuts and the more I was surprised by his puncture in the last stage. Compared to that Zawada was extremely spectacular and completely crazy (similarly all over the place was Gryazin but not so fast). Bergkvist was something between, so were Wagemans, Ingram or Heuninck. A nice surprise for me was Pieniazek.

I think I will not comment gr.N drivers. There was not much to see. The few cars were looking so boring and lame compared to the R5 and even R2. Maybe the opinion would be different with Andy Lefevere or with Jasper van den Heuvel but none of the was there...

[marcosg]

If his puncture... If his off... If he hadn't... If my aunt had balls she would be my uncle. There's no need to argue, the classification is official... This sport is (as so many) partly decided by luck. It's just interesting how some drivers almost always have good luck and others always have bad luck, or is there something more...?

and punctures are 90% of the time self inflicted so I can't see where luck comes into play...

[Fast Eddie WRC]

and punctures are 90% of the time self inflicted so I can't see where luck comes into play...

Where in a stage they happen, near the start or near the end, that is luck..

Or did Loix only do his big cuts in the last few kms of the stages...

[Mirek]

Oh no, don't start that again. Or do You really belive that every cut si same? You know that in our championship Pech's spies walk through every possible cut on foot to check exactly what is where? There are cuts where You can cut, cuts where You must not cut but also cuts where You just have to cut totally extremely or not at all otherwise You have a problem. There is a lot of such in Ypres. Anyway it's totally pointless debate. If someone has punctures say five times more often than someone else and if it's usual suspects well known for very risky driving style than it has nothing to do with luck. You can't win Ypres ten times out of twenty starts by luck.