IRC returnee Barrable fastest on Ypres shakedown

Robert Barrable has gone fastest of all on shakedown for the Geko Ypres Rally, which ended at 23:00hrs local time at the village of Nieuwkerke.

Barrable, who finished ninth on his Ypres debut in 2011, recorded a best run of 3m00.9s through the 4.8-kilometre rain and mud-hit test approximately 20 kilometres south of the permanent service park in Ypres.

The Irishman, who is embarking on a selected programme of Intercontinental Rally Challenge rounds this season with backing from his country’s ŠKODA importer, said: “We didn’t take any risks, we were just trying to get seat time in the car.”

Like Barrable, Oleksandr Saliuk also impressed by setting the second fastest aboard his Dream Team Ukraine M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000, 0.8s down on Barrable.

Former IRC champion Juho Hänninen looked as though his solitary run through the test was enough to give him the quickest time only for Barrable’s late effort to put him top of the leaderboard. The ŠKODA Motorsport driver settled for third, 2.4s behind Barrable.

Antonin Tlustak was fourth quickest with Mathieu Arzeno impressing as the leading IRC 2WD Cup runner in fifth overall, one place ahead of Belgian Group N champion Jonas Langenakens.

Seven-time Ypres winner Freddy Loix was seventh fastest in a Peugeot 207 S2000 followed by defending IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen in a ŠKODA UK Fabia.

Hungarian veteran Laszló Vizin was ninth in his privateer Fabia with PS Engineering’s Patrik Flodin completing the top 10 as the leading M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 driver.

Heavy rain before the start coated the stage surface with mud and rain, which made driving conditions treacherous and prompted several drivers to only complete a handful of runs.