Kevin Abbring will be full of confidence when he resumes his bid for FIA Junior World Rally Championship honours in Bulgaria next month, reported www.wrc.com.
The 21-year-old Dutch driver, currently joint first with Aaron Burkart in the J-WRC standings, took part in the non-championship Ypres Rally in Belgium last weekend and promptly won the Clio R3 European Trophy section of the event in an impressive 11th overall, beating a number of four-wheel drive machinery in the process.
Although the Ypres event is more twisty and technical in nature compared to the high-speed and bumpy stages in Bulgaria, Abbring said the outing had been ideal preparation for Rally Bulgaria, which takes place in Borovetz from July 8 – 11.
He said: “The stages will be different when we get to Bulgaria but there were some bumpy sections in Ypres. But the most important thing is to come to Bulgaria with a good victory even though I was quite surprised to win. I felt confident with my [Renault Clio R3] and with my pacenotes from the beginning and that is something I hope I can continue in Bulgaria.”
Abbring wasn’t the only J-WRC driver in action in Belgium last weekend. Hans Weijs took 20th overall in a Citroen C2-R2. Estonian Karl Kruuda, a newcomer to the series this season, finished 22nd in his Suzuki Swift S1600, while Thierry Neuville, who pilots a Citroen C2 S1600 in the young driver series, took the final podium spot in third with an impressive display in a Peugeot 207 S2000. Harry Hunt was less fortunate, however, crashing his Ford Fiesta R2.
Japan’s Toshi Arai was also competing in Ypres. The two-time Production Car world rally champion was using the event to gain asphalt mileage in his Subaru Impreza WRX STi ahead of the sealed-surface P-WRC rounds in Germany and France later in the year.
– Credit: www.wrc.com