Latest news 2009

The entry list for the 45th Belgium Ypres Rally already looked very promising and the results of the shake-down confirmed that there will be a close battle for the win.
This were back to normal near Ypres as the opening practice for the Belgian leg of the European Championship and the IRC attracted a large number of spectators. Everything went well with no incidents reported either on the track or with the safety of the spectators. And the public got what they came for as the drivers were showing off their skill during the one and a half hour session which was reserved only to the 25 top drivers on the entry list.

The Vice President of the FIA will start the rally

The start of this 45th Belgium Ypres Rally is planned for today, Friday, at 1730. The FIA Vice President, Mohammed Bin Sulayem, will wave the Belgian flag to start the first car, Juho Hanninen's Skoda Fabia, in front of the magnificent court house in the main square at Ypres.

• Results shakedown

Meet & Greet with the top driver!

Just as we did last year, we have organised a Meet&Greet in the Rally Village on the market place in Ypres on Friday 19 June at 14h00. Fans will again have the opportunity to meet the top drivers and collect autographs.

Eurosport is really pushing the envelope to get the Belgian leg of the IRC on TV. They will broadcast 4 stages live on Eurosport and will broadcast images from the service-park and interviews during the week after the rally. It is an effort without precedent from Eurosport.
The Belgian broadcasters have turned their attention to the Belgium Ypres Rally 09 too however. RTBF, RTL, Sporza, LifeTV and some of the local broadcasters such as WTV and TV Limburg will relay images from the Westhoek back to your lounge.

Internationally, the Belgium Ypres Rally is not only known for its very typical narrow and bumpy twisties but also for its unique atmosphere in the town centre. Most international rally's have moved to boring places outside the towns. Ypres has stuck to keeping its rally centre in the form of a set of large tents on the market place. This gives a unique feel to all of those venturing onto the main market place of the town.

A first for the Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 in the IRC

The list of participants of the Belgium Ypres Rally is becoming more attractive by the day. The Flemish organisors just received the entry form of the official Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 which will celebrate its debut in the IRC in Belgium. And that will not go unnoticed as the Malays have put their trust in Guy Wilks, the British driver who has shown his metal already in the WRC.

It looks like the Belgium Ypres Rally will again beat the record number of participants in the Super 2000 category. We have not closed the enrolment yet but there are already 17 Super 2000 cars on the list with 7 different manufacturers represented. The big guns of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge will face the tough challenge of the top of the Belgian rally field. The front runner of the Belgian armada will of course be record holder Freddy Loix who took his fifth win last year at the wheel of the Peugeot 207 Super 2000 of Peugeot Belgium-Luxemburg.

One of the key priorities of the new team of "Superstage" that is organising the Belgium Ypres Rally, is to ensure the wellbeing of the spectators. As mentioned already, a system of signposts will be put in place to guide the people to the stages. Another new concept will be the one of the Spectator Arena's.