Ott Tänak wins the Ypres Rally, Lefebvre triumphs in WRC2

It's been a long time sinceOtt Tänak (Hyundai) n’avait pas vécu une si belle saison en Championnat du monde des rallyes (WRC). The Estonian recorded at Rally byYpres (Belgique) sa troisième victoire de la saison 2022. Il faut remonter à sa saison de titre mondial en 2019 avec Toyota pour retrouver de telles statistiques.

“Winning here is a bit surprising, as for the Rally Finland », declares the one who strengthens his second position in the general classification of Drivers. “It’s good to see that the results are starting to come our way. There is still a lot of work to improve the car, we could be really faster than that. »

Overwhelmed during second stage. Elfyn Evans (Toyota) tried to catch up with the Hyundai i20 hybrid until the Power Stage, without success. The third step of the podium is occupied by Esapekka Lappi (Toyota), who passed between the various accidents.

Fourth position is occupied by the young Oliver Solberg (Hyundai). The son of 2003 world champion Petter Solberg signs his best performance in the WRC. Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) is fifth. There is no trace of Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) and Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) in the top 10, and for good reason: both drivers suffered accidents earlier in the competition. They are content to score points in the Power Stage.

Disaster for Fourmaux

For the team M-Sport Ford, et plus précisément pour le Français Adrien fourmaux, this ordeal turned into a nightmare. Perceived as one of the outsiders thanks to his success in 2019 and three podiums before the Ypres Rally became part of the world calendar, Craig Breen went into overdrive on Saturday, as he shifted into high gear.

Adrien Fourmaux took over in order to bring back valuable points to Malcolm Wilson and Richard Millener. The Northerner, supported by his childhood friends and family in Flanders, was instructed not to tickle Oliver Solberg and to settle for fifth place.

Falling ill during the night from Saturday to Sunday, the Frenchman began the last stage with full force, until going off the road in the penultimate SS and abandoning. “Yes, he has been ill since last night, but the objective today was very clear, declared his team principal, Richard Millener. JI don't know what else to say, we have to wait for things to settle down and analyze it cold. »

A connoisseur of Belgian roads (he leads the national championship), Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroën) dominated the WRC2 class. The 30-year-old Frenchman, who had not been seen in the World Cup since Croatia last April, beat Andreas Mikkelsen (Skoda) and Yohan Rossel (Citroën).

For the native of Nœux-les-Mines (Pas-de-Calais), it is a deliverance; his last success at this level dates back to Monte-Carlo 2015! “I am so proud of this result. I have to thank the entire DG Sport Compétition team for this performance. »

Final general classification:

Drivers Championship:

Manufacturers' Championship: