Kris Meeke will start the Geko Ypres Rally from first on the road at the wheel of his Peugeot 207 Super 2000. The defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion and last year’s Ypres Rally winner will lead away a total of 97 runners over the opening loop of stages south of the historic Belgian town.
Prior to this afternoon’s start, Meeke, who is co-driven by Irishman Paul Nagle, said: “It’s just flat-out from when the flag drops to the finish line. The performance of your car is really highlighted on this rally – horsepower, brakes and suspension and we have all those key elements. I don’t have any concerns about my abilities to drive fast here but I have to see if it’s good enough to fight with the other guys this time. Until we get into the race proper we won’t know.”
Meeke will be followed through the opening stages by Juho Hänninen, who leads the IRC standings by 11 points in his Škoda Fabia S2000. IRC newcomer Chris Atkinson starts third in his Proton Satria Neo S2000, which marks the Malaysian firm’s first start in the IRC this season.
Top 10 starting order
1 Kris Meeke (Peugeot 207 S2000)
2 Juho Hänninen (Škoda Fabia S2000)
3 Chris Atkinson (Proton Satria Neo S2000)
4 Corrado Fontana (Peugeot 207 S2000)
5 Michal Solowow (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000)
6 Toshi Arai (Subaru Impreza WRX)
7 Jan Kopecký (Škoda Fabia S2000)
8 Luca Betti (Peugeot 207 S2000)
9 Pieter Tsjoen (Peugeot 207 S2000)
10 Freddy Loix (Škoda Fabia S2000)