Giandomenico Basso leads Rally San Marino outright for the first time after going quickest through stage 12, the final pass of the 14.45-kilometre Sant’Agata Feltria test.
Basso, in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta RRC, started the stage equal on time with rival Andreas Mikkelsen but is now 4.9s in front of the ŠKODA UK driver with two stages remaining before the finish in San Marino this evening.
Mikkelsen, the defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion, said: “It’s not easy, the stage was okay, but we’re struggling against the turbo car.”
Sepp Wiegand continues to trim Umberto Scandola’s advantage in the fight for the final podium place. The German was 1.1s quicker than the Italian to set the third quickest time.
Germain Bonnefis said he was “driving slowly” in order to preserve his Peugeot Sport 207 Super 2000’s tyres after using both of his spare tyres through picking up a brace of punctures.
Runaway IRC Production Cup leader Jarkko Nikara reported a “knocking” sound on the left side of his Subaru Impreza R4 STI when braking.