The World Rally Car contingent on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana has been reduced by two after Armindo Araujo and Ken Block both went off the road on Sunday’s first stage, the 26.51-kilometre Santa Marina test.
Although full details of their exits are not yet known, both drivers are understood to have hit trouble within the opening three kilometres of the stage, which was held under the cover of darkness, albeit in dry conditions.
Portuguese Araujo was 15th at the time. Block, from America, was in 31st. Both drivers and their co-drivers are reported to be uninjured.
It marks the second event in a row that Araujo, in a Motorsport Italia MINI John Cooper Works WRC, has retired on the first stage of the closing morning of a world championship qualifier after he also went out early on Rallye de France Alsace’s final day.
Block was recovering from his exit on Friday’s dust-coated first stage, when he broke his steering striking a drainage culvert in his Monster World Rally Team Fiesta.
Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb continues to lead the event and has now grown is advantage over second-placed Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala to 31.1s