The 60th edition of the Ardeca Ypres Rally promises to be a must-see event, taking place on 27 and 28 June. The entry list shows that the Ypres roads are attracting some of the world’s best drivers.
Dani Sordo is among those registered for the anniversary edition of the Ypres Rally. The Spanish WRC star will experience the stages in a brand-new Porsche 992 Rally GT. This car will be prepared by Motorsport Activities, a company run by Lionel Hansen and Yves Matton. This opportunity arose from a collaboration between Motorsport Activities and the event organiser, Club Superstage.
It was in 2005 when Dani Sordo shot to fame as Junior World Champion, ahead of Guy Wilks and Kris Meeke. He then enjoyed a remarkable career in the World Rally Championship. First at Citroën, with whom he claimed his first WRC victory in Germany in 2013. He then moved to Hyundai in 2014. At Hyundai, Sordo was among the first drivers to represent the Korean manufacturer, alongside stars like Thierry Neuville. Sordo achieved great success on the WRC round in Sardinia twice in 2019 and 2020. In Ypres, he will discover the fast asphalt stages for the first time with a potent Porsche 992 Rally GT.
“I was in Ypres in 2021 when the event was part of the World Championship for the first time, but then I only did the recce. This time it will be a nice challenge with the new Porsche 992 Rally GT that I have heard a lot about. I’m very curious. We will test the car beforehand and in preparation we will also drive the two shakedowns in Boezinge and Nieuwkerke,” Sordo said.
For Yves Matton, the driving force behind the Porsche project together with Lionel Hansen, Dani Sordo is the ideal driver to show the Porsche’s potential.
“With Cédric Cherain, we have a great ambassador for the 992 Rally GT in Belgium. Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen has also tested our car and now there will be a southern driver at the wheel. In this way, we prove that drivers from every region are competitive with this Porsche,” Matton said.
“A test session will be planned in advance, after which Dani will explore the car further on the shakedowns. We want to show that the 992 Rally GT is suitable for every type of driver, with different levels of experience. The basic settings have been defined in this sense by different pilots. We are very pleased that four examples of the new 992 Rally GT will be at the start of the Ypres Rally, which has a lot of international appeal.”
For Alain Penasse, chairman of Club Superstage, the organisation behind the Ypres Rally, it is a happy reunion with the driver with whom he has worked at Hyundai since 2014. “I tried several times to get Danito the start in Ypres. He is now a good friend but each time something came up, usually a clash of dates with his program. This time we offer Dani, in collaboration with Motorsport Activities, a very nice challenge. I am convinced that the fans will enjoy his style.”
