At times it felt like nobody wanted to win Ypres Rally Belgium, such was the attrition on the World Rally Championship’s latest asphalt instalment, and the rate at which the leaders fell by the wayside. That was until Hyundai’s Ott Tanak inherited the lead following an unceremonious exit for home hero, team-mate and odds-on favourite Thierry Neuville. Few would have predicted Tanak to star in Neuville’s back yard, but the Estonian appears to have unearthed the form that helped guide him to the 2019 world title to deliver a second surprise win on the bounce.
Ypres has developed a reputation of providing one of the toughest asphalt tests in rallying thanks to its narrow ribbons of road, lined by perilous deep ditches that cut across the fields of the Flanders region – once home to battles of a very different kind. This grim moment in history was respected by the WRC drivers, who lay wreaths to pay tribute to the fallen at Ypres’ famous Menin Gate First World War memorial before the rally began.
The weather dominated the event build-up, with teams expecting rain to dominate Friday, turning an already tough rally into arguably the most difficult wet Tarmac challenge in
