Source: andreasmikkelsen.no
If Andreas Mikkelsen wins the Cyprus Rally this weekend he’ll be crowned Intercontinental Rally Challenge drivers’ champion, as the title showdown has become a winner takes all battle, after Juho Hänninen (who could have finished 3rd and still won the title) crashed within sight of the start of SS2.
Having taken a 3.1 second lead after setting fastest time around the Pafos superspecial last night, Andreas and co-driver Ola Fløene extended their lead to 8 seconds after setting another fastest time on SS2 today – a famous old stages, run in the opposite direction to normal.
The mixture of asphalt and gravel stages in the sun-baked mountains above Pafos today are proving to be every bit as difficult as Andreas had predicted they would be – and he lost the lead with a tank-slapper of a spin on SS3.
Crews now have a lunchtime service in Pafos, before repeating the Koilinia (15 miles/24.15kms; 35.5% asphalt / 64.5% gravel) and Salamiou (11.28 miles/18.16kms; 64.2% asphalt / 35.8% gravel) stages this afternoon.
“The first stage today was nice. We tried to find a good rhythm, but it wasn’t easy,” said Andreas.
“We were going well on the next stage until we hit some loose gravel coming into a corner, lost the back of the car and spun. We lost maybe eight or ten seconds. It’s the way it is. You have to push if you want to stay in front.”
Overall positions after SS3:
1. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (Peugeot 207 S2000)….35m 12.1s
2. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+8.8s
3. Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+21.2s
4. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Giovanni Bernacchini (Ford Fiesta S2000)….+25.2s
5. Patrik Sandell/Staffan Parmander (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+56.2s
6. Freddy Loix/Frédéric Miclotte (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+1m 01.1s
If Andreas Mikkelsen wins the Cyprus Rally this weekend he’ll be crowned Intercontinental Rally Challenge drivers’ champion, as the title showdown has become a winner takes all battle, after Juho Hänninen (who could have finished 3rd and still won the title) crashed within sight of the start of SS2.
Having taken a 3.1 second lead after setting fastest time around the Pafos superspecial last night, Andreas and co-driver Ola Fløene extended their lead to 8 seconds after setting another fastest time on SS2 today – a famous old stages, run in the opposite direction to normal.The mixture of asphalt and gravel stages in the sun-baked mountains above Pafos today are proving to be every bit as difficult as Andreas had predicted they would be – and he lost the lead with a tank-slapper of a spin on SS3.
Crews now have a lunchtime service in Pafos, before repeating the Koilinia (15 miles/24.15kms; 35.5% asphalt / 64.5% gravel) and Salamiou (11.28 miles/18.16kms; 64.2% asphalt / 35.8% gravel) stages this afternoon.
“The first stage today was nice. We tried to find a good rhythm, but it wasn’t easy,” said Andreas.
“We were going well on the next stage until we hit some loose gravel coming into a corner, lost the back of the car and spun. We lost maybe eight or ten seconds. It’s the way it is. You have to push if you want to stay in front.”
Overall positions after SS3:
1. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (Peugeot 207 S2000)….35m 12.1s
2. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+8.8s
3. Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+21.2s
4. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Giovanni Bernacchini (Ford Fiesta S2000)….+25.2s
5. Patrik Sandell/Staffan Parmander (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+56.2s
6. Freddy Loix/Frédéric Miclotte (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+1m 01.1s
