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Abbring beats Bouffier in Ypres Rally after Neuville's crash

Ex-Hyundai World Rally Championship driver Kevin Abbring came out on top of an epic duel for Ypres Rally honours, after his former Hyundai WRC team-mate Thierry Neuville crashed out

Neuville, competing in the event with the backing of Hyundai Belgium, was the pacesetter until SS6 on Friday night, when he lost control of his i20 R5 on a layer of gravel coating the Ypres asphalt.

With the WRC title contender out, it was left to Abbring - now campaigning a Peugeot 208 T16 R5 - and Bryan Bouffier to fight for honours over 160 miles of stages.

Bouffier had led the majority of the event in his Bernard Munster-run Skoda Fabia R5, before a 24.3 seconds lead was erased, when the 2011 Monte Carlo Rally winner slid wide and visited a ditch, dropping time to Abbring.

Bouffier closed back in, but a strong final loop of three stages gave Dutchman Abbring the honours by eight seconds, this year with Belgian champion and 2015 Ypres winner Peter Tsjoen switching from driving for pacenotes to partner Abbring.

He was previously co-driven by Seb Marshall, who now works alongside Hayden Paddon in the WRC.

The win also gave Abbring maximum Belgian Rally Championship points, ahead of third man overall Bernd Casier.

The result was also enough to give Casier the Tour European Rally Series win.

Ypres has previously been a round of the European Rally Championship, but this year hosted the British Rally Championship as well as the new TER series and the Belgian championship, which resulted in an increased overall entry list over last year.

Works M-Sport driver and three-time British champion Keith Cronin finished seventh overall and took maximum points in the British Championship.

Many of his fellow BRC drivers crashed out, including points leader Fredrik Ahlin.

Osian Pryce now leads the series by seven points over Ahlin.

Matt Edwards and Pryce rounded out the top three British entrants on the event.

Neuville rejoined for Saturday and took a number of stage wins.

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