Juho Hänninen continues to lead Sata Rallye Açores with fog and mud playing havoc on stage six of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier, the 18.3-kilometre Sete Cidades test.
The Finn was quickest through the run in his ŠKODA Motorsport Fabia Super 2000 and now heads Andreas Mikkelsen in the overall standings by 9.7s prior to the service halt in Ponta Delgada. “It was so heavy clouds, it was very difficult,” said Hänninen.
Last year’s winner Bruno Magalhães remains in third place but is now 21.0s behind Hänninen. “It was completely unbelievable, I couldn’t see anything,” said the Peugeot Sport Portugal ace.
Patrik Sandell, running first on the road in his ŠKODA Sweden entry, said: “It was really slippery on the downhill part and it’s so hard to work out how much speed to carry. We didn’t lose time in the fog, only on the downhill sections.”
Peugeot UK’s Guy Wilks is reported to have stopped on the stage in his 207 S2000.
Overall positions after SS6:
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hänninen Juho / Markkula Mikko | Škoda Fabia S2000 | 36m33.9s |
| 2 | Mikkelsen Andreas / Floene Ola | Škoda Fabia S2000 | +9.7s |
| 3 | Magalhaes Bruno / Grave Paulo | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +21.0s |
| 4 | Kopecký Jan / Starý Petr | Škoda Fabia S2000 | +22.2s |
| 5 | Sandell Patrik / Parmander Staffan | Škoda Fabia S2000 | +1m18.8s |
| 6 | Moura Ricardo / Eiró Sancho | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | +1m29.5s |
| 7 | Bouffier Bryan / Panseri Xavier | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +1m30.5s |
| 8 | Lopes Vítor / Magalhăes Hugo | Subaru Impreza Sti | +2m21.2s |
| 9 | Pascoal Vítor / Ramalho Luis | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X | +3m16.7s |
| 10 | Vale Pedro / Medeiros Rui | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | +3m24.2s |
| 11 | Nutahara Fumio / Ichino Hakaru | Subaru Impreza R4 | +3m28.1s |
| 12 | Silva Sérgio / Cordeiro Nelson | Subaru Impreza Sti | +3m29.8s |
| 13 | Lousado Rui / Assunçăo Luis | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | +4m23.5s |
| 14 | Maciel Paulo / Gouveira Filipe | Citroën Saxo VTS | +4m25.3s |
| 15 | Rodrigues Ruben / Rodrigues Estevăo | Citroën C2 R2 Max | +4m50.6s |