Ypres winners thank Škoda for IRC victory

Geko Ypres Rally winners Freddy Loix and Frederic Miclotte have praised the efforts of the factory Škoda Motorsport team following their success on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier last weekend.

Loix and Miclotte were making a one-off appearance for the Czech squad in a BFO-backed Fabia Super 2000 Facelift and led home team-mates Jan Kopecký and Petr Starý in a Škoda one-two, the third time this season that Škoda has filled the top two steps on the podium.

“I’m really happy,” said Belgian Loix, 39. “This is a great return to the IRC for me and I’d like to thank Škoda Belgium, my sponsors and special thanks to Škoda Motorsport for a perfectly prepared car.”

Co-driver Miclotte added: “We were very well prepared for Ypres. We did a small rally two weeks ago and we did two days testing, plus the shakedown. Of course we had a very good team and everybody was working really hard and that’s why we were able to win.”

After six rounds of the IRC, Škoda heads rival Peugeot in the manufacturers’ standings by 43 points, while factory drivers Juho Hänninen and Kopecký are first and second respectively in the drivers’ table, three points apart.