At different points during the 2007 edition of the Belgium Ypres Westhoek Rally, either Bernd Casier or the Volkswagen Polo was leading the event. Together, both intend to finish the job this Friday and Saturday on the narrow roads of the Ypres region.

Rally drivers are sometimes like students: before the summer break, they want to shine during the exams. The tests proposed this week-end will be of a particular type as the students will have to know their subject very well, while also leaving some space for personal improvisation over the 18 timed stages covering 299 kilometres.

In addition, the Westhoek routes have a reputation for being severe on cars and drivers as they are often lined with deep ditches. Errors are seldom allowed as excursions over the side of the road result in long minutes trying to get the car back on track... Such traps serve to show the importance of studying the notes and learning the lessons well.

Being the meticulous students they are, Bernd Casier and Fred Miclotte launched into intense reviews of the matter on Wednesday, all under the direction of René Georges and his team.

"Over the whole day, the VW Polo Super 2000 covered about 90 kilometres in private testing," revealed Team Principal Georges. "Bernd mostly worked on tweaking the handling of the Volkswagen on Westhoek asphalt."

Casier and Miclotte were all smiles Wednesday afternoon following their practice runs.

"These tests put me in perfect confidence with the Polo," Bernd Casier declared. "This session allows me to serenely take on the race."

"However, I do not have the slightest idea of our competitiveness compared to the others," he pointed out. "Ypres is our first asphalt rendez-vous of the IRC series this season. I do not know to which point the rival teams have developed their material. We will have to wait for the verdict of the first timed runs to forge an opinion."

A major exterior element may litterally bring another variable: the weather. The possibility of Mother Nature shuffling the cards does not bother the Belgian contender.

"Rain is often my ally," noted Casier, "and the Polo has demonstrated its worth when grip conditions become precarious. However, I hope the 'celestial dams' will remain closed during the first day."

"I have the number 19; if the roads are drenched, the asphalt will be dirtied with mud thrown by the competitors driving ahead of me and plunging into the curves," he explained.

"So, I prefer a dry tarmac for the first six stages. Saturday I wouldn't mind racing on a skating rink since I should be starting out from a better position," Casier confidently said.

"Frankly, I think we are fully prepared," René Georges added. "We only have to hope for that little bit of luck that we've been missing since the beginning of the year."