Loix flies, Kopecký crashes in shakedown

The factory ŠKODA Motorsport team has experienced differing fortunes during shakedown for the GEKO Ypres Rally, round five of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

While local hero Freddy Loix had set the pace at the completion of the first section of this evening’s shakedown, which was reserved for cars numbered from one to 25, his team-mate Jan Kopecký failed to complete a timed run after crashing a little more than a kilometre into the 4.88-kilometre stage in Nieuwkerke.

Peugeot UK driver Guy Wilks said: “It was a fourth-gear left-hander about a third of the way into the stage where he went off. There was damage to the front-right of the car. It was the same place where Kris Meeke crashed in 2009. It’s hard to say but there was a bit of a wait before the start and maybe he got caught out by being on cold tyres.”

A ŠKODA spokesperson confirmed Kopecký’s car had struck a small bridge although the exact extent of the damage couldn’t be determined until the car was returned to the main service park in Ypres.

Behind Loix, Bryan Bouffier was second fastest in his Peugeot France 207 Super 2000, with Andreas Mikkelsen third quickest in his ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia. Thierry Neuville was fourth in his Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg 207 with Bruno Magalhães impressing with the fifth fastest time in his Peugeot Sport Portugal entry, despite not having competed in anger for more than one month.

Top 10 shakedown times
1 Freddy Loix/Frédéric Miclotte (ŠKODA Fabia S2000) 2m44.5s
2 Bryan Bouffier/Xavier Panseri (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2m44.9s
3 Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (ŠKODA Fabia S2000) 2m46.0s
4 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2m46.4s
5 Bruno Magalhães/Paulo Grave (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2m47.10s
6 Pieter Tsjoen/Lara Vanneste (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2m47.5s
7 Toni Gardemeister/Tapio Suominen (ŠKODA Fabia S2000) 2m47.9s
8 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2m48.2s
9 Michal Solowow/Maciek Baran (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) 2m48.9s
10 Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (ŠKODA Fabia S2000) 2m48.9s