The 2023 Ardeca Ypres Rally once again lived up to all its promises. The expected duel between the reigning Belgian champion Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroën C3 Rally2), and the current leader of the British rally championship, Adrien Fourmaux (Ford Fiesta Rally) unfortunately lasted only a few stages. The Frenchman , while leading the rally, lost control over his car and flipped over several times on Friday night.
The road thus seemed open for Ford driver Adrien Fourmaux, who wasted no time in checking his lead. Saturday afternoon, however, the M-Sport clan received a warning, when Fourmaux suddenly conceded 12″6 to Chris Ingram (VW Polo GTI R5), since Lefebvre’s abandonment pinned in second place. With A 22″ lead with two special stages to go, and in a controlling manner, he rushed to the Ypres Grand Place as the winner. Immediately, this is also his third success in as many rallies in the British championship!
The fans who had to conquer a burning sun, appreciated the GTs too . Amaury Molle was the fastest with the Alpine A110 RGT. He was faster than Tim Van Parijs with his Porsche 997 GT3, which lost a lot of time due to a flat tire and a broken wheel bolt.
Picture gallery Ardeca Rally 2023
Pictures courtesy Wilfried Geerts
