Tsjoen confirms IRC return on Ypres Rally

Pieter Tsjoen will return to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge on next month’s Geko Ypres Rally.

The Belgian will drive a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 for the Kronos Racing squad alongside team-mates Thierry Neuville and Guy Wilks.

Tsjoen, who won the Ypres Rally in 2001, said: “I’m aiming just to enjoy myself, but I’d also like to score some good points for the Belgian Rally Championship.”

The experienced Tsjoen first competed in the IRC driving an Abarth Grande Punto on the Ypres Rally in 2007 and has been a familiar face on the event ever since. However, he crashed heavily on last year’s rally to the extent his car was beyond repair.

“I’m obviously not going to be able to fight on equal terms with the professional drivers,” said Tsjoen. “So my goal is to stay consistent and make use of the reliability of my 207 to end up somewhere around fifth place. Even though I know the terrain quite well, that would be a really good result. I’d have to rely on bad luck for my rivals to finish any higher than that.”

The Geko Ypres Rally forms round five of the 12-event IRC.