After SS12: The feeling is back for ERC Ypres leader Abbring
Kevin Abbring celebrated his first stage win of day two of the Geko Ypres Rally by revealing that he’s got the “feeling back” with the brakes on his R5-specification Peugeot 208T16.
While Abbring insisted there were no issues with the brakes of his Peugeot Rally Academy entry, he reported earlier that they didn’t have the “right feeling”.
He was 0.2s quicker than Freddy Loix through the 14.33 kilometres of Kemmelberg and now heads the eight-time Ypres winner by 20 seconds in his bid to win a round of the FIA European Rally Championship for the first time.
Speaking to ERC Rally Radio’s Julian Porter at the stage finish, Abbring said: “It’s incredible. I told you before I couldn’t get the right feeling with the brakes but the feeling is back now. I tried to push a bit, not being stupid and I think we did a good job and I was a little bit faster than the first time on this stage.”
Luca Rossetti, the three-time European champion, was 2.9s slower than Abbring and moves ahead of ERC Production Car Cup leader Andy Lefevere into eighth overall.
Craig Breen started the stage out of order after his Peugeot Rally Academy team worked to rectify an electrical issue in service in Ypres. He was fourth quickest, 1.8s faster than Cédric Cherain, who holds third overall following Esapekka Lappi’s retirement on stage nine. Meanwhile, Lappi and co-driver Janne Ferm have been taken to hospital in Ypres for precautionary checks.
The 50th anniversary Geko Ypres Rally heads across the border into France next for the Lille-Eurométropole stage, which goes live at 14:52hrs local time and covers a distance of 9.76 kilometres.
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fiaerc.com/news/4493
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After SS13: Unlucky 13 for Breen as Belgium becomes France
There was further woe for FIA European Rally Championship star Craig Breen when the Geko Ypres Rally crossed into France for the Lille-Eurométropole stage.
Hampered by a handbrake glitch on stage 12, a broken differential has left the Peugeot Rally Academy driver’s 208T16 in rear-wheel-drive mode only. “It’s not my weekend,” said Breen. “It is a new car so you have to expect problems. That is just the way it is sometimes. Every time I brake it locks the rear wheels.”
Stage 13 didn’t go entirely plan for Breen’s team-mate Kevin Abbring either. Although he was 0.9s quicker than Freddy Loix to extend his lead to 20.9s, he wasn’t entirely happy at the stage finish. “The stage went well but I hit something as well,” said the Dutchman. “I have to check what it is.”
Loix, who is driving a normally aspirated ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, said: “All the time I am attacking, not only now. This stage is not so good with a long straight. My maximum speed is 178kph and the [turbocharged] Peugeots can take nearly 200kph. But I went flat out and was happy with the way I drove.”
Luca Rossetti, who won on his Ypres debut in 2007 before going on to claim three European titles, was third quickest. He said: “It was a clean run but I really don't like this stage so much, I have no feeling so I drive through. It's finished almost before it starts and the grip changes a lot compared to the Belgian side and every year I have trouble on this stage. But I am happy with my car, the tyres and the rhythm."
It’s back to Belgium next with the 27.56-kilometre Hollebeke stage getting underway at 15:43hrs local time.
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fiaerc.com/news/4497
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After SS14: My heart goes out to Abbring, says new leader Loix
Freddy Loix is the new leader of the Geko Ypres Rally but said he sympathises with Kevin Abbring and the Peugeot Rally Academy team after the Dutchman retired from the lead of round six of the FIA European Rally Championship.
Abbring was 20.9s in front of Loix when he was forced to stop on the road section heading to stage 14 with a suspected mechanical failure on his Peugeot 208T16. His exit means Loix is now 1m16.2s ahead of Cédric Cherain following the 27.56-kilometre Hollebeke test, which is the longest of the event.
“To be honest it’s very disappointing,” said Loix, who is on course for his ninth Ypres victory. “We had a fantastic fight and until now, overall, he was just a little bit quicker. Now I am again in the front and I can only make mistakes so I control the race. But I feel very said for Kevin and also for Peugeot.”
Three-time European champion Luca Rossetti won the stage to climb to fifth overall but there was no such luck for Craig Breen and Neil Simpson. Sepp Wiegand, who is now up to third overall, reported that Breen had stopped in the stage amid suggestions that the transmission problems on stage 13 have worsened, while Andy Lefevere said he spotted Simpson stuck in a ditch.
Crews are now heading to Ypres for a 30-minute service halt before the rerun of Reninge gets underway at 18:00hrs local time.
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fiaerc.com/news/4501
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