The 2021 WRC season enters its final stretch and the Ypres Rally is the first stop of the World Cup caravan. Belgian asphalt sections may define the title fight, but they may also witness the revival of M-Sport. The British coach is having a gray season, in what has been defined as a year of transition by those responsible for the project. With everything, Gus Greensmith and Adrien Fourmaux seek their first podium of the year at the controls of the Ford Fiesta WRC. For his part, Teemu Suninen will compete in the WRC2 category with a Fiesta Rally2.
Gus Greensmith, eighth overall in the WRC with 34 points, has assured about his presence in the Ypres Rally: «I was amazed at how slippery and unpredictable Belgian roads can be. The grip differences will be a big thing during the rally. We had dry and wet conditions in the test. The roads are much narrower than what we would find in Germany. If you have an error in the Ypres, then the gutters absorb you. You need a car that performs well in the cuts because there are many and that is predictable because you don’t want to slide when the edge of the road is so close».
For its part, Adrien fourmaux faces his fourth rally at the wheel of the Ford Fiesta WRC: «It is a new rally for me, but it is like a home event because it is 40 kilometers from my home. I know the roads and their types of very tight curves. You need to have a great braking system and good traction for the long straights that follow. The roads are very narrow. There are many cuts and that means there is a lot of mud on the roads, so the position of the road will be very important. This test is a challenge in the dry, but if the rain comes it can be even more complex».
As usual, with Fourmaux’s jump to the premier category, Teemu suninen falls to the WRC2 class and will drive a Ford Fiesta Rally2: «It is going to be an interesting challenge. I have tried to watch videos to better understand the rally. I think the biggest challenge is the big cuts, how this will affect the car and how much dirt accumulates on the roads, especially if it is raining. It is a challenge to jump between different cars. I want to make the Ford Fiesta Rally2 as strong as possible. The challenge is reading the grip level. The end goal is to get back to the level I’ve been to before».