Ardenne Rally Festival Bruno Thiry at the wheel of the Winfield Subaru Impreza Gr.A of the 1997 Ypres Rally!
The Ardenne Rally Festival likes to put gems from rally history in the spotlight without any form of competition, resembling a living photo album. And when a champion of Bruno Thiry's calibre is reunited after 28 years with the car with which he drove the 1997 Ypres Rally, the event takes on an even more special significance!
The Subaru Impreza 555 Gr.A, with which the former WRC driver finished one of the most thrilling editions of the rally in the Westhoek – just seven seconds behind Freddy Loix' Toyota Celica GT-Four – will indeed be present in Vresse-sur-Semois from Thursday, May 1st to Saturday, May 3rd!
“Honestly, this feels unbelievable, because this is the exact car I drove to finish second in the 1997 Ypres Rally alongside Stéphane Prévot,” says a very enthusiastic Bruno Thiry. “The car now belongs to a British Subaru fan, James Harrison, who meticulously restored it over two years. He even sandblasted the car completely and discovered six different layers of paint! It has a white base colour from when Gérard Magniette originally bought it, a red layer from my sponsor Winfield, and several other colours. Since most Subaru Impreza 555 Gr. A cars are blue, James thought it would be fun to paint his model in the colours of the Ypres Rally! I haven't seen the car since, but thanks to the British number plate system, we can confirm that this is ‘my’ Ypres Subaru from 1997!”
Bruno Thiry has unforgettable memories associated with this car. “I only drove it once, which remains one of my biggest frustrations,” he continues. “Of all the cars I've driven in rallies, this Impreza Gr. A is by far my favourite! The sound, the ease of driving, and the fact it was developed by Colin McRae all contribute to that. The 1997 edition of the Ypres Rally also helped make this car legendary. I’m eagerly looking forward to driving it again and sharing that joy with the public at the Ardenne Rally Festival!”
Bruno will be joined by co-driver Julien Vial, with whom he previously participated in the Ypres Rally Masters in 2019 driving an Opel Corsa A. Julien Vial also partnered with Thierry Neuville at the Monza Rally Show in 2015.
Additionally, we should note that James Harrison, the British owner of the Impreza 555 Gr.A, will also participate in the Ardenne Rally Festival, driving a Subaru Legacy Gr.A. The livery for the Legacy is yet to be determined.
There is no doubt that the 2025 edition of the event organized by DG Sport will draw a significant crowd to the banks of the Semois at the beginning of May!
