Dani Sordo has claimed victory on Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse, round four of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, following a faultless performance.
Driving a MINI John Cooper Works S2000, the IRC newcomer moved in front on stage five on Friday when defending IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen went off the road and picked up a puncture.
Thereafter the Spaniard was able to maintain a comfortable advantage alongside co-driver Carlos del Barrio, despite the best efforts of the chasing pack. His victory was confirmed after he safely negotiated the final stage, which was shown live on Eurosport.
Jan Kopecký beat Corsican hero Pierre Campana to second place following a close battle between the pair.
Although he failed to extend his run of podium finishes, Mikkelsen continues to lead the IRC drivers’ standings for ŠKODA UK.
IRC Production Cup joy for Aigner
Andreas Aigner has won the IRC Production Cup on Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse on his return to regular international competition following several seasons away
Driving a Subaru Impreza R4 STI for Stohl Racing, Aigner led from Thursday’s opening stage alongside co-driver Daniela Ertl.
"First rally and the first win so a perfect start for me," said the Austrian ace. "I’m very happy, the car was working well the whole rally. We had no big problems and the team worked very good. Thanks to my partners for supporting me."
SS14: Impressive Kopecky fastest again
Jan Kopecký has made it five stage wins out of six on the final day of Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse to secure second place on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge event.
The ŠKODA Motorsport ace completed the rally-closing 28.96-kilometre Marinca-Cagnano stage, shown live on Eurosport, in a time of 18m55.6s, 3.2s faster than rival Pierre Campana, who was forced to settle for third position overall.
“We made two mistakes on this rally but I must say that to finish second is a good result in the end,” said the Czech driver.
Dani Sordo was fourth fastest to wrap up an impressive debut victory in his MINI John Cooper Works S2000.
Bryan Bouffier was second fastest through the stage to clinch fourth overall. Craig Breen survived a spin to set the fifth fastest time, one place ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen, who continues to lead the IRC drivers’ standings after finishing fifth overall for ŠKODA UK.
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sordo D. - Del Barrio C. | Mini Cooper S2000 1.6T | 3h22m01.6s |
| 2. | Kopecký J. - Dresler P. | Škoda Fabia S2000 | +17.9 |
| 3. | Campana P. - de Castelli S. | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +32.4 |
| 4. | Bouffier B. - Panseri X. | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +53.5 |
| 5. | Mikkelsen A. - Floene O. | Škoda Fabia S2000 | +4:19.0 |
| 6. | Breen C. - Roberts G. | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +5:28.7 |
| 7. | Manzagol J. - Patrone E. | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +6:22.1 |
| 8. | Wiegand S. - Gottschalk T. | Škoda Fabia S2000 | +6:54.8 |
| 9. | Gassner jr. H. - Wicha K. | Škoda Fabia S2000 | +7:10.2 |
| 10. | Leandri J. - Leonardi P. | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +7:39.9 |
| 11. | Arzeno M. - Jamoul R. | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +8:13.7 |
| 12. | Aigner A. - Ertl-Weissengruber D. | Subaru Impreza STi R4 | +9:51.4 |
| 13. | Boschetti P. - Manzo B. | Renault Clio R3 | +13:09.2 |
| 14. | Arai T. - Moscatt D. | Subaru Impreza STi R4 | +13:14.7 |
| 15. | Delecour F. - Savignoni D. | Renault Megane RS | +14:31.8 |
| 16. | Alerini P. - Vesperini J. | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +15:48.0 |
| 17. | McCormack M. - Moynihan D. | Ford Fiesta S2000 | +16:10.2 |
| 18. | Valliccioni M. - Poyo-Chanza M. | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | +16:45.3 |
| 19. | Marchi J. - Nanni X. | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +17:04.4 |
| 20. | Hunt H. - Durant R. | Citroen DS3 R3T | +21:02.1 |