The Ardeca Ypres Rally will take place on Friday, June 21st and Saturday, June 22nd for the Belgian Rally Championship. It is the fourth round in Division 1 and the 59th edition of the Ypres classic with an impressive starting field.

There will be 93 participants in Division 1 and 47 in Division 2, which takes place only on Saturdays. The rally will start in Ypres on Friday at 3 p.m., and the opening evening will feature two loops of 4 tests – Vleteren, Westouter, Mesen-Wijtschate, Zonnebeke. On Saturday, there will be 10 more tests –  3x Kemmelberg, Dikkebus en 2x Watou, Zillebeke – covering a total distance of 222 km at speed.

Niels Reynvoet, with three consecutive victories, enters Ypres as the championship leader, followed closely by defending champion Maxime Potty. Potty will be driving the Toyota Yaris GR Rally2 from LifeLive and will face a challenge from the 11-time Ypres winner Freddy Loix, also in a Toyota Yaris GR Rally2. Other notable participants include Stéphane Lefebvre, the 2022 Belgian champion, driving a Hyundai i20 N Rally2, and Bernd Casier in a new Skoda Fabia RS from PTR Racing.

Jos Verstappen, Bjorn Syx, and Gilles Pyck are also expected to perform well. Cédric Cherain, aiming for a good result after losing points due to punctures in previous rallies, will compete with his Hyundai i20 N Rally2.

Other participants such as Davy Vanneste, Bastien Rouard, and Vincent Verschueren are also looking forward to the event. The competition will be fierce in the GT class with top performers such as Kris Princen, Tim Van Parijs, Patrick Snijers, and the duo Melissa Debackere and Marlon Krieger. Local drivers Kurt Boone, Steve Bécaert, and Frederik Lerminez, as well as Xavier Dekeyser, Olivier Decoene, Fred Berville, and Dominique Bruyneel in the Rally3s, will also add excitement to the event.

The 59th Ardeca Ypres Rally promises to be a fascinating race with a treacherous course, making it a must-see event for rally enthusiasts.