Rossetti to start first on the road in Ypres

Luca Rossetti will start first on the road on the GEKO Ypres Rally, round five of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Driving an Abarth Grande Punto Super 2000, Rossetti will head the 119-car field over Friday’s opening six stages.

“I come back after three years so the rally changes a lot,” said the former Ypres Rally winner. “It will be very difficult for me, it’s difficult with the pacenotes but I will try to do a good rally and we will see after the first day what we can do.”

Bryan Bouffier, in a Peugeot France 207 Super 2000 will start second, with Freddy Loix next up in his ŠKODA Faba Super 2000. Giandomenico Basso is the lead PROTON in fourth with Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg’s Thierry Neuville starting fifth.

Jan Kopecký is a non-starter in his Fabia S2000 after his co-driver Petr Starý suffered a fractured collarbone in a crash on Thursday evening’s shakedown.

Top 10 starting positions:
1 Luca Rossetti (ITA)/Matteo Chiarcossi (ITA) Abarth Grande Punto S2000
2 Bryan Bouffier (FRA)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000
3 Freddy Loix (BEL)/Frederic Miclotte (BEL) SKODA Fabia S2000
4 Giandomenico Basso (ITA)/Mitia Dotta (ITA) PROTON Satria Neo S2000
5 Thierry Neuville (BEL)/Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000
6 Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)/Ola Floene (NOR) SKODA Fabia S2000
7 Guy Wilks (GBR)/Phil Pugh (GBR) Peugeot 207 S2000
8 Michal Solowow (POL)/Maciek Baran (POL) M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000
9 PG Andersson (SWE)/Emil Axelsson (SWE) PROTON Satria Neo S2000
10 Hans Weijs (NED)/Bjorn Degandt (BEL) SKODA Fabia S2000