The third day of the 2022 running of Ypres Rally Belgium has passed. Ott Tänak leads the pack after day three.
First Loop
The first loop would start with Neuville losing his lead to Ott Tänak by 0.1 seconds on SS9. Neuville would quickly regain his lead on SS11, and end the loop with a 16.2-second lead. Day three would start much of the same as the returning Kalle Rovanperä won the first stage. SS10 would see Lappi, Tänak, Neuville, Evans and Rovanperä tie on the stage with a time of 7:42.9. Evans would end the loop 5.3 seconds behind Tänak. Lappi would finish the day in fourth place. Craig Breen would fall out of the top five and rally as a whole. Breen’s teammate Adrain Fourmaux would inherit fifth place from Breen.
Second Loop
The second loop would start with Neuville winning SS13 to extend his lead by another 2.1 seconds over Tänak. Evans would win SS14 to close the gap between him and Tänak to 3.2 seconds. SS15 would see a leader change after Neuville would go off the road into a ditch ending his rally, leaving Tänak with the lead. Tänak would end the day in the lead with 8.2 seconds departing him and Evans. Lappi would end the day in third over a minute behind Evans. Solberg would end the day in fourth place. Fourmaux would round out the top five finishing the day in fifth.
The Return Of Rovanperä
Kalle Rovanperä would return to Ypres Rally Belgium after rolling and subsequently retiring on SS2 yesterday. Rovanperä currently leads the WRC Championship standings, and it will remain that way even if he takes home no points.
Breen Out
Craig Breen’s rally would come to an abrupt end after overshooting a corner in a ditch on SS10 which caused Breen to roll. Both Breen and co-driver Paul Nagle were ok after the roll. The M-Sport World Rally Team is going to try and repair Breen’s car for him to return to the rally tomorrow.
What To Expect From Day Four
Day Four will likely see a full battle between Tänak and Evans for the rally win. Tänak needs the win to close the points lead on Rovanperä, as well as extend his lead over Neuville. Evans needs to stop Tänak from closing the lead on Rovanperä. Evans will also be looking to move into third in the championship standings, needing only nine points to pass Neuville.
My name is Joe Moore. I am a writer for Belly Up Hockey, Belly Up Racing, and Belly Up Sports. You can find me on Twitter.
