Irish privateers Daniel Barry and Martin Brady hope to gain an edge over their rivals ahead of the Geko Ypres Rally later this month by contesting a practice event in Belgium this weekend.
The 12 Hours of Wervick is a traditional dress rehearsal for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier, which takes place from 24-26 June.
But rather than compete in their regular Barry Motorsport Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, Barry and Brady will drive a Group N Toyota Starlet, which they have hired from the Auto’s Dekeersgieter operation in Belgium.
“We wanted to get some miles under our belt before Ypres and get a feel for what Belgian Tarmac is like as it’s clearly a very specialised terrain,” said Barry, who last drove a front-wheel drive rally car in 2005.
Co-driver Brady added: “We are going there to learn the intricacies of Belgian Tarmac so it will be great experience for us, even though it will be a culture shock for Daniel doing it in a smaller car.”
Barry and Brady are two events into their four-round IRC campaign, which began with a 21st place finish on Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo in January.