Day four of Ypres Rally Belgium has passed. Ott Tänak would take home his second and third wins of the season.
Day One
The first day of Ypres Rally Belgium would feature a lone 7.34km shakedown stage.
Day Two
Day Two would see Thierry Neuville take the lead after the first eight stages. Neuville came into the event as the favourite to win. Ott Tänak would finish the day in second. Elfyn Evans would finish the event in third.
Day Three
The third day would see Thierry Neuville crash out of the lead. Tänak would inherit the lead and run with it the rest of the day. Evans would finish the day in second. Lappi would finish the day in third.
Day Four
The fourth day would look much the same as Tänak led the entire day. Kalle Rovanperä would win the Power stage to take home his only points of the event. Thierry Neuville would rejoin the event to take home third place points on the Power stage.
Championship Rundown
Although Rovanperä only took home five points at Ypres Rally Belgium, his lead remains intact. It’s just a bit smaller. Tänak would take home 27 points at the event, putting his point total to 131 points. The point gap between Rovanperä and Tänak sits at 72. Thierry Neuville would take home three points from the event putting his total to 106 points. Elfyn Evans would take home 22 points, putting his total to 116, passing Neuville for third place.
Championship Points After Belgium
Rovanperä 203
Tänak 131
Evans 116
Neuville 106
Katsuta 92
A First For Solberg
Oliver Solberg achieved a top-five finish for the first time in a Rally1 car. Solberg’s previous highest finish was in Rally Sweden, where he placed sixth.
That Was Disappointing
Thierry Neuville came into Ypres Rally Belgium as the favourite to win the event. Neuville won the 2021 running of the rally. Neuville led the rally from SS7 to SS14.
Belgium Bites
Ypres Rally Belgium is known for being a difficult rally. With large ditches and narrow tarmac roads with grip level changes that can happen in an instant, there is little room for error. Only 5 of the 10 Rally1 drivers who entered the rally completed every stage. WRC Championship leader Kalle Rovanperä would be the first to fall victim after being forced to temporarily retire on SS2 after rolling. Craig Breen would be the next to fall victim after going wide on a corner into a ditch and rolling on SS10. Thierry Neuville would be the final of the top five championship drivers to fall victim. Neuville would temporarily retire on SS15 after going off the road.
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
Things couldn’t be worse for the M-Sport Ford WRT right now. With Craig Breen failing to finish rallies becoming more common. Breen hasn’t finished a rally since Safari Rally Kenya, where he placed sixth. Things can only go up for the M-Sport Ford WRT.
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
The Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT couldn’t ask for much more right now. After winning two straight rallies. Ott Tänak remains in second while Thierry Neuville will have an uphill battle for third. Oliver Solberg showed signs of light at Ypres Rally Belgium, making no major mistakes.
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team
The Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT knows they have the Drivers Championship and Manufacturers Championship in the bag. Due to this, the team knows they don’t have to push; finishing the rallies in the top five is all they need to do.
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.
