Ypres: Three contenders already on the carpet

Le Rally Ypres does not spare the leading crews. After the withdrawal of Jan Kopecky at the end of the shakedown, Andreas Mikkelsen (Skoda) retired from the first special following a road exit. Thierry Neuville (Peugeot ) for his part broke the wheel and the right front suspension of his 207 S2000 on the same route.

But the SS2 did not spare another top driver either. Bruno Magalhaes (Peugeot) also withdrew from the first stage after suffering a mechanical breakdown on his 207 S2000.

At the end of the third special, Freddy Loix (Skoda) leads the Ypres rally with a 14??1 lead over Guy Wilks (Peugeot), his closest pursuer. The Belgian, six-time winner of the event, signed the three scratches in the mid-stage.

Peter Tsjoen (Peugeot) is third, 25??3 behind his compatriot and he is followed by Luca Rossetti (Fiat), who took fourth place in the general classification after several errors from Bryan Bouffier, who fell to fifth position. The Peugeot driver is only four tenths behind the Italian, but he is already 34??1 behind the leader.

The crews will leave at 20:18 p.m. for three more special stages.