The FIA’s European Rally Champoinship has inherited a number of rallies that were at one time part of the World Rally Championship. In addition to the the Olympic Rally in Greece, this includes the Ypres Rally in Belgium. Ypres winds through the back roads in the Low Country, sending drivers on narrow roads that while actually paved, are also coated in fine layers of dust, mud, and water in addition to varying in quality of surface. Belgium being one of the Low Countries, it of course doesn’t have a whole lot of elevation change, but the few that exist are substantial: Two-foot ditches line much of the stages and one railroad crossing sends the cars flying several feet in the air in one of European rally’s most iconic yumps.
There’s a lot to like from this fan video, one of many that arise from any given European rally. I’m a big fan of the insane turbo noises on these little hatchbacks with the big snails on the little engines sounding like they’re sucking the top layer of asphalt straight off the road under throttle and then, when off throttle, the engines pop and bang and chirp and squeal and sound like freaking jet engines. It’s a crazy scene with some of the cars making 300 horsepower from 2.0-liter engines, which is enough to send them flying. As usual with tarmac rallies, a couple of blokes have entered Porsches and while one has a rough go of it, stick around for the very end where another late-model Porsche executes one of the best handbrake turns you’ll ever see.
