[ERC] Geko Ypres Rally (19. -21.06. 2014)

[dimviii]

. But if you look at the result of Lefevere in his Mitsubishi R4, you can still achieve a reasoable result

+1

Rosetti did an awesome job, I tought his victory was lucky but he proved the oposite. I didn't know he was on Pirelli's,.

Rosetti has very good relations with Pirelli.Before 10 years maybe plus, when nobody knew him,he was at Acropolis for recce from Pirelli.If you follow his comments at every stage at Ypres you will see what he says about his tyres.

that would be the first time these tires worked better on dry tarmac then Michelins.

that opinion i ve listen plenty of times here,and its totally wrong.Pirelli tyres are (and were) top always.

[HaCo]

that opinion i ve listen plenty of times here,and its totally wrong.Pirelli tyres are (and were) top always.

Good to know. To be honest I base my opinion on the days Fords and Subarus were running Pirelli on tarmac.

[RS]

Casier (going off in the first corner, with so much experience, is not done!)

Maybe his hero is Francois Duval?

[Mirek]

Rough translation of my text originally in Czech on autosport.cz forum Writing this I'm drinking strong Maredsous Triple now by the way

My fourth Ypres, again with local specialist Tommeke. We did QS/SD, 10 stages, Friday night service and Saturday finish ramp.

This time we had a nice weather (it was really cold only during late shakedown), we had good places, crews were pushing hard (which resulted in traditionally big number of retirements). Regarding spectators I have a feeling that it's more free every year. Myself I think I have met a steward on our places only two times of ten stages and seen the tape just occasionally (in contrast with recent supersafe regulations in CZ). There was a looot of spectators, definitely more than last year. Altogether it was wonderful event.

QS/SD
Who invented QS shall be shot by spectators. So few action in such a long time (5 hours!), no wonder there were only few spectators at the first runs. Magalhaes retired already before start and that didn't really helped the good mood. For first two free runs we chose the traditional deep-cutting corners and for the QS we moved to the superfast left one just after. First wow effect came with Rossetti there. Before the event I didn't think he would be so fast (see my fucked up pickems) but since this moment it was clear that big things are coming - precise driving, perfect lines, no overdriving, locking wheels or useless cuts. He drove different way than others, it was a bit Loebish. Luca looked happy about everything and clearly enjoyed! Peugeot crews were very aggressive, maybe too much (Breen mainly). I think that Breen's brutal driving doesn't help the already bad reliability of the 208 T16. Loix like always very aggressive especially in braking but not moving from ditch to ditch like Breen. Anyway the craziest driver of the shakedown was Lefevbre and I think maybe the craziest driver of the whole rally too. I didn't see crash of Pospíšilík as I was in the next corner. At least it was fun to listen locals trying to pronounce his name (Pospeesheleek) and of course by this stunt he got on Eurosport which would be otherwise quite impossible The fire of Tsjoen's new Peugeot was an overture of coming events...

SS1 Dikkebus 1 http://rally-image.be/foto/0424/images/067.jpg
Quite well known S-corners at the cemetery which You could see also in ES coverage. It was traditionally nice. Only Orsák drove strange, like he scared himself with what the car did in the first cut. After him we had to hurry to another stage so no juniors this time...

SS4 Langemark http://rally-image.be/foto/0424/images/036.jpg
Series of fast S-corners approximately one kilometer before the finish of stage. First S is extremely fast "around a house" and than a difficult sharper one follows. Except another insane moment of Lefevbre I'd like to mention unusually risky driving Lappi and a totally crazy episode of "taming of the evil Fabia" by Kristiansen. No wonder he crashed just few corners after.

SS7 Mesen 2 http://rally-image.be/foto/0424/images/001.jpg
First new place for me and a really nice one. An S-bent at the bottom of a small valley with a wicked cut over a bank. Almost all cars went on two wheels for a moment. Rossetti came with a RR puncture and when he started braking into following corner his car spun and he went off. To spectators it took maybe one minute to pull him out and than he changed the tyre on the spot. What a pity! Another one with puncture was Orsák but he just passed (driving very fast for having only three working tyres). He must have changed the wheel later in stage and I was told he was very unlucky as the jack broke. Lefevbre came late due to a puncture, first mistake in his crazy run. Olsson's and Parpotas's Fiestas obviously rolled before. Thiry retired after hitting some stone. I was surprised he was able to restart as it looked like oil is going into the engine. Speaking about Thiry I have to say Opel Adams R2 impressed me quite a lot. Maybe the engine is not so good but their very stable suspension look definitely better than the one of Peugeot (not speaking about old C2).

SS8 Reninge 1
New stage (or better to say long time unused). Despite we did a recce this was the worst place we visited. There is not even a single photo in Tom's gallery. It was a sharp right corner around a house followed by a fast double left with two small cuts. Unfortunately the first corner was too slow and so everybody took the following on full throttle. For some strange reason we were given our own marshal here by the safety helicopter to guard us

SS11 Westouter 1 http://rally-image.be/foto/0424/images/060.jpg http://rally-image.be/foto/0424/images/045.jpg http://rally-image.be/foto/0424/images/024.jpg
This was a great place and it was already discussed in this thread. After a fast right a sharp left over a crest follows. The second corner is all covered by dirt from a field. I was told every time somebody goes off here. Many tried hard but somehow saved it (Rossetti, Duquesne, Simpson...) but Orsák went off completely. Fortunately there was no ditch or anything except high grass so he lost only few seconds.

To be continued...

[Mirek]

SS12 Kemmelberg 1 http://rally-image.be/foto/0424/images/052.jpg
My favorite place of the rally was fantastic as ever. The previously posted shot of Lefevbre from second run gives some impression about this place but live it's much more impressive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVu-dgz3FHc I think that it's enough to say that with the top of both absolute and junior leaderboard You just keep smiling like idiot watching the action

SS14 Hollebeke 1 http://rally-image.be/foto/0424/images/040.jpg
This really isn't Pindula of Barum We took a rare forest place this time which looked pretty Czech. This stage is very difficult and this time it was also the longest one so it no wonder big things happened. Abbring didn't come at all, Breen late with bad sounds going from the car. Orsák, Lefevbre or Simpson were also late with damaged cars. Verschueren with broken rear window and loose wing.

SS15 Reninge 2 http://rally-image.be/foto/0424/images/030.jpg
Another superfast place - an S-bent with a bump inside. I think that most of the crews did it on fifth gear. While all Fabias came over without any notable body movement all Fiestas R5 except the one of Cherain were a bit nervous (Cherain had obviously better setup than others with Fiesta R5). Old 207 S2000 and gr.N cars were quite unstable here, Lefevere even didn't cut at all. Works Peugeots were out already but the pass of Tsjoen looked quite ok. The craziest things of the late stages were done by Kobus. His Fiesta S2000 with Kumho tyres gives You a bit of old gr.A feelings when drivers used to be all over the place. Tsjoen later crashed on a place we marked in a recce but didn't do it after all.

SS18 Westouter 2 http://rally-image.be/foto/0424/images/043.jpg
Great overview over a one kilometer of stage from a downhill to uphill section with a deep high speed cut. Just for information about speed on the photo I can say that just before Kobus was for one or two seconds in RPM limiter (165 km/h with his car) and before he turned he only slightly touched the brakes! Pity there were only few crews pushing in that time, namely Kobus, Wiegand, Lefevbre, Orsák or Thiry. Also Černý drove nice there. I had similar feeling about him like with all Czechs - looked uncomfortable at the start and got faster only with more and more stages. Pity it ended with another big crash. Hope it's not the end of season.

SS19 Kemmelberg 2 http://rally-image.be/foto/0424/images/065.jpg
For the end we chose the well known jump over a main road. It's quite nice place especially for photos but nothing really mindblowing. What is nice is that You can clearly see how cars behave on landings. Again there was a major difference between Cherain's and other Fiestas R5. From gr.N Érdi and Hudec had best landings. I have to say Hudec was driving really well at the end. He was the one I thought would crash first of Czechs but he surprised me. After that there was only the finish ramp with traditionally great atmosphere and some beers with friends in the town

At the end I can't help myself not to write something about PSA R5 cars. What a joke! Four cars on the start and all of them with major issues. The only reason why Tsjoen finished was a change of engine after QS. Comparing that to seven Škodas S2000 or five Fiestas R5 which all had not a single technical defect it's just a farce. Also the speed wasn't really superior. It was only Abbring who was faster than Loix and Rossetti and it's possible that the main reason was his skills. Now imagine they homologated this while there are only one or two jokers for three years long period! WTF...

[dimviii]

nice review Mirek! thanks!

[dimviii]

nice video,watch Abbrings pass at 7,15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNqF...=youtube_gdata


Mirek what about Abbrings style? impressed me a lot at Acropolis.

[dimviii]

Tsjoen in the ditch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_4BJjyPfU

[Mirek]

Mirek what about Abbrings style? impressed me a lot at Acropolis.

Abbring was impressive, very fast and spectacular in the same time. He was not so crazy flamboyant like Breen but also not so smooth driving like Rossetti, a bit like Loix but still a bit more sideways (which might have something to do also with the car).

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Thanks for your review Mirek.

Regarding Breen: 'Peugeot crews were very aggressive, maybe too much (Breen mainly). I think that Breen's brutal driving doesn't help the already bad reliability of the 208 T16. Loix like always very aggressive especially in braking but not moving from ditch to ditch like Breen.'

This is interesting, but rather than 'brutal driving', I think its more a case of him trying too hard and being frustrated at not being able to build on the Acropolis win. The 208's problems have cost him points on the last two events where he should have been going for wins and I think the frustration has built up so much he is overdriving the car and then doubting himself that he hasnt got the speed.

I'm sure he was expecting to have a much better ERC 2014 and now he needs to try to relax and not blame himself but just enjoy the rallies and the results will come. He has still got a chance of the title (208 permitting) and could be much worse off for points, like his team-mate Abbring.