Fresh from an impressive result in France, Chesterfield rally driver Rhys Yates will head to Belgium this weekend, to contest Rally van Wervik (8/9 June) as he prepares to resume his Prestone MSA British Rally Championship campaign later this month.
In the quest for more seat time behind the wheel of the new-for-2018 Skoda on asphalt, the duo then headed to the South of France to sample stages famously used on Rallye Monte Carlo, taking seventh overall at the Antibes Côte d’Azur Rally.
The Brettex Skoda Fabia R5 pilot will now contest the Belgian event as he bids for additional asphalt experience of the unique closed-public-road stages before the second round of the BRC, the Ypres Rally. The series makes a guest appearance at the popular European event as it shifts onto a sealed surface for all but the final round in October.
Run by Carlisle based firm CA1 Sport, Yates will now take his Fabia R5 across to Belgium for Rally van Wervik to ensure he is as prepared as possible for the season ahead.
“We will certainly be going into this event with renewed confidence after the Antibes result but it’s easy to get complacent and we really need to use this as another rally to gain experience,” says Yates.
“There is a very impressive entry this weekend and it would be easy to get caught up in looking for results, but this is about getting the right set up for the car and getting myself dialled into the roads before we head for Ypres which is really where it matters.
I have competed in Belgium before, but there is no substitute for experience there as the roads are notorious for catching out even the best drivers in the world. We will do our own thing, just like in Antibes, and get all the data we need to move forward in Ypres”.
Yates is sponsored by Brettex, Michelin Motorsport, Jordan Road Surfacing, Draper Tools, Rallynuts, Rainworth Skoda, Nicky Grist Motorsport, H&F Furniture and Protyre.
