HAVING already claimed two British Rally Championship victories, Aberdyfi rally ace Tom Cave heads to round four and the Renties Ypres Rally leading the drivers’ standings by seven points.

The Belgian event is one of the most iconic rallies in the world and the legendary asphalt lanes in the Flanders region are some of the most challenging stages in Britain’s premier rally series this year.

The BRC summer spectacular will start on Friday afternoon in the heart of Ypres, with the crews being waved off under the shadow of the impressive Cloth Hall in the Grote Market Square.

The BRC crews will then thread their way through two action-filled days comprising of 160 competitive miles in daylight and atmospheric night-time conditions.

Not only will the British Championship crews battle each other for title points, they will also go toe-to-toe with some of the best in the world, including Craig Breen, Kevin Abbring and former World Championship star Freddy Loix, who is an 11-time Ypres Rally winner.

The man in form coming into round four, however, is Welshman Cave in his Michelin-shod Hyundai i20 R5.

After a retirement on his home round - the Cambrian Rally, Cave has taken back-to-back wins in Cork and Cumbria to lead the standings before the Ypres Rally. Cave has two previous Belgian visits under his belt, but retirements have denied him a lucrative finish.

Hopefully his third visit will be third time lucky and with Dale Bowen in the co-driver’s seat, the Welsh pairing will be battling for the BRC win and an outright top five.

“It’s an important one for us, as we will be fighting to maintain our Championship lead," said the 27 year-old. “It’s a demanding rally too. Whilst the stages are on good quality roads, they’re very technical in nature, and you have to concentrate 100 per cent of the time."A test on Tuesday on similar roads that will be used for the rally went exactly according to plan, with Cave reporting that the Michelin tyres were working exceptionally well in the dry and warm conditions.

“I last did this rally two years ago, also in a Hyundai i20 R5, and we didn’t finish on that occasion - but with the experience gained since then, and the development of the car, I am confident we can be very competitive this year," said Cave.

“As usual there’s a high quality of crews and teams on the entry list, and whilst we’ll be fighting for overall honours, our main focus will be to beat our BRC rivals, of course. I must admit that following my last asphalt outing in Ireland, I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do in Belgium.”

Defending Champion Matt Edwards meanwhile sits second in the standings. After clinching the opening round on home soil, the Pirelli-backed driver will be keen to repeat his Ypres performance of 12 months ago.

The M-Sport star snatched the 25 points from Keith Cronin in the final stages of the event – sealing his first BRC Tarmac win in the process. Edwards and co-driver Patrick Walsh were forced to retire last time out on the Pirelli Rally – provisionally denting their title hopes.

One thing is for sure, however, this Welsh duo never give-up and will be taking the fight to Cave this weekend, with Edwards determined to regain the Championship lead.