Belgian hero is on top for SKODA 20 years after debut on asphalt classic at Geko Ypres Rally, round 6 of the championship.

hero Freddy Loix has won the Geko Ypres Rally for an eighth time on the back of a faultless display as the FIA European Rally Championship made its annual visit to Belgium for the all-asphalt spectacular.

The SKODA Motorsport driver, who entered his first Ypres Rally 20 years ago, led from the start having also set the pace during Thursday evenings Qualifying Stagethe first ever on a Tarmac eventwhich marked the competition debut of MICHELINs new PILOT Sport R asphalt tyre.As well as celebrating Loixs record-extending win in Ypres, the fans who flocked to the stages in huge number were treated to a glimpse of rallyings exciting future right here, right now, when Kris Meeke and Thierry Neuville demonstrated the new-generation Peugeot 208 T16 and M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 respectively as course cars. The R5-specification machines were fast and created considerable interest.Elsewhere, Mitsubishi Lancer pilot Andy Lefevere took full advantage of Andreas Aigners woes to win the ERC Production Car Cup in a stunning fourth overall as fellow Belgian Xavier Baugnet clinched the ERC 2WD Championship spoils in a Peugeot 208 R2. Melissa Debackere won the ERC Ladies Trophy on her debut in the contest in a fine seventh overall.With an advantage of 1m36.2s starting leg two, which covered almost 200 timed kilometres, Loix and co-driver Frdric Miclotte could afford to manage their pace on a mainly dry second leg in their works-prepared Fabia Super 2000.Right from the start I had a great feeling with my car and I was able to push, said Loix, who made his Ypres debut in 1993. We showed a very good speed in difficult conditions. At the moment when Craig [Breen] had problems it was a little bit slowing down and just trying to get to the finish. I am very happy.But while the Belgians remained out of reach in top spot, a battle raged for second place between Peugeot 207 S2000 drivers Bryan Bouffier and Craig Breen, who had dropped out of the lead battle when his car suffered a front-left driveshaft failure on Friday evening.Bouffier began day two 46s ahead of Breen in his Cuckoomobile.be entry. But after going on a five-stage winning streak on the final morning, Breen was able to demote Hayden Paddon for third before slashing Bouffiers advantage to a little more than 20s. However, Bouffier hit back by winning the first of two stages to take place over the border in his native France, before Breen overshot a junction and stalled the engine in his Peugeot Rally Academy entry on stage 14. Bouffier continued to resist Breens threat by scoring another four stage wins, a performance that earned him the prestigious Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy.It would prove to be a dramatic end to the rally for Breen who went off on the final stage and ended up stuck in a ditch. He eventually regained the road thanks to the help of several spectators but feared his hopes were over until the stage was cancelled after the cars of Davy Vanneste and Mikko Pajunen caught fire and blocked the stage, thankfully without injury to either crew. With the results declared at the end of stage 19, Breen was classified third behind Bouffier.Vannestes exit handed fourth to Lefeverethey had been in a close scrap at the timewith Dutchman Hermen Kobus fifth and Michał Sołowow sixth. Behind Debackere, former Hungarian champion Andrs Hadik impressed on his ERC debut in eighth with Antonn Tlusťk finishing ninth and claiming another strong haul of points for the GPD Mit Metal Racing Team in its quest for the European Rally Championship for Teams. David Croes took 10th with Aigner battling to the finish in 11th in his Stohl Racing Subaru Impreza R4 STI for crucial ERC Production Car Cup points.Aigner was on course for his third consecutive victory in the division only to drop back when he damaged his cars left-rear wheel striking a tree on Saturday morning. A puncture and a loss of brakes caused further misery for the Austrian.Former Production Car world champion Hayden Paddon was in fourth overall when he crashed out at high speed on stage 14. Although he and co-driver John Kennard were uninjured, damage to the Fiestas radiator after the car struck a tree meant they were unable to continue. The rear of the car snapped sideways for no apparent reason, which spun us down the road, Paddon said.Germain Bonnefis was the sole finisher for Team Renault Sport Technologies in 12th following Robert Consanis exit on leg one. Marco Tempestini finished eighth in the Production Car Cup for the Napoca Rally Academy with Zoltn Bessenyey taking ninth in ERC 2WD for Eurosol-Honda Civic Type R.The Geko Ypres Rally marked the halfway stage of the 2013 ERC season when the scores of drivers, co-drivers and teams from the first six events are effectively frozen as only the best four results from the first six roundsplus the best four results from the final six events are considered.TOP 10 POSITIONS (after 20 stages, 297.93 kilometres)1 Freddy Loix (BEL)/Frdric Miclotte (BEL) SKODA Fabia 2000 2h32m19.4s2 Bryan Bouffier (FRA)/Lara Vanneste (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +1m21.0s3 Craig Breen (IRL)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +1m52.5s4 Andy Lefevere (BEL)/Andy Vangheluwe (BEL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +6m36.4s5 Hermen Kobus (NLD)/Erik de Wild (NLD) Ford Fiesta S2000 +6m41.2s6 Michał Sołowow (POL)/Sebastian Rozwadowski (POL) Ford Fiesta RRC +7m00.0s7 Melissa Debackere (BEL)/Cindy Cokelaere (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +9m38.5s8 Andrs Hadik (HUN)/Krisztin Kertsz (HUN) Subaru Impreza R4 STI +10m09.3s9 Antonn Tlusťk (CZE)/Jan kaloud (CZE) KODA Fabia S2000 +10m25.6s10 David Croes (BEL)/Eric Tack (BEL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +12m07.7s

ERC Production Car Cup:Andy Lefevere (BEL)/Andy Vangheluwe (BEL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo XERC 2WD Championship:Xavier Baugnet (BEL)/Eric Borguet (BEL) Peugeot 208 R2ERC Ladies Trophy:Melissa Debackere (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy:Bryan Bouffier (FRA)RALLY LEADERSSS1-20: Freddy LoixSTAGE WINNERSDay one (Friday 28 June, 101.86 kilometres):SS1: Dikkebus 1 (14.30kms): Overall: Loix/PC: Aigner/2WD: van der MarelSS2: Wijtschate 1 (24.89kms): Loix/Lefevere/ArellanoSS3: Langemark (13.82kms): Loix/Lefevere/BoonSS4: Dikkebus 2 (14.30kms): Loix/Aigner/BaugnetSS5: Wijtschate 2 (24.89kms): Loix/Aigner/HeuninckSS6: Mesen (9.66kms): Paddon/Aigner/van der MarelDay two (Saturday 29 June, 196.07 kilometres):SS7: Vleteren-Krombeke 1 (14.34kms): Breen/Lefevere/BoonSS8: Watou 1 (12.44kms): Breen/Lefevere/BoonSS9: Westouter 1 (7.39kms): Breen/Lefevere/BaugnetSS10: Kemmelberg 1 (14.19kms): Breen/Lefevere/BoonSS11: Heuvelland 1 (14.99kms): Breen/Lefevere/BaugnetSS12: Lille-Euromtropole (9.85kms): Bouffier/Hadik/De CeccoSS13: Show Wasquehal (1.88kms): Loix/Aigner/RadouxSS14: Hollebeke 1 (28.82kms): Bouffier/Lefevere/van der MarelSS15: Vleteren-Krombeke 2 (14.34kms): Bouffier/Lefevere/BaugnetSS16: Watou 2 (12.44kms): Bouffier/Lefevere/BaugnetSS17: Westouter 2 (7.39kms): Breen/Lefevere/De CeccoSS18: Kemmelberg 2 (14.19kms): Bouffier/Lefevere/HeuninckSS19: Heuvelland 1 (14.99kms): Bouffier/Lefevere/BaugnetSS20: Hollebeke 2 (28.82kms): Stage cancelledKEY STATISTICSERC rally wins in 2013: Jan Kopeck 3; Bryan Bouffier 1; Jari Ketomaa 1; Freddy Loix 1.ERC stage wins in 2013: Jan Kopeck 21; Craig Breen 17; Robert Kubica 16; Bryan Bouffier 14; Jari Ketomaa 8; Freddy Loix 6; Raimund Baumschlager 3; Bernardo Sousa 2; Jan Čern 1; Beppo Harrach 1; Kajetan Kajetanowicz 1; Luis Monzn; Ricardo Moura 1; Jaroslav Orsk 1; Hayden Paddon 1; Vclav Pech 1.NEXT ROUNDSibiu Rally (Romania), 25-27 July