ŠKODA UK Motorsport’s Andreas Mikkelsen has retaken the lead of Rallye Sanremo but it was Thierry Neuville who had the biggest cause for celebration at the completion of the 20.57-kilometre Colle Langan stage after he went fastest in his Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg 207 Super 2000.
Neuville was 0.9s quicker than Mikkelsen through the stage and is now 13.0s off the lead of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier. BFO-ŠKODA driver Freddy Loix, who topped the overall classification after Friday’s final stage, was 5.6s slower than Neuville through Colle Langan and is now 2.0s adrift of new leader Mikkelsen.
Loix admitted he wasn’t “pushing too much” and like the bulk of his rivals he reported slippery conditions on the all-asphalt run, despite an absence of rain.
Young Corsican driver Pierre Campana completed the stage with the fuel pressure alarm flashing in his Peugeot.
Overall positions after SS8
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikkelsen Andreas / Floene Ola | Škoda Fabia S2000 | 1h31m43.6s |
| 2 | Loix Freddy / Miclotte F. | Škoda Fabia S2000 | +2.0s |
| 3 | Neuville T. / Gilsoul Nicolas | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +13.0s |
| 4 | Bouffier Bryan / Panseri Xavier | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +16.6s |
| 5 | Kopecký Jan / Starý Petr | Škoda Fabia S2000 | +32.1s |
| 6 | Magalhães Bruno / Grave Paulo | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +49.0s |
| 7 | Scandola Umberto / D’Amore Guido | Ford Fiesta S2000 | +52.7s |
| 8 | Perico Alessandro / Carrara Fabrizio | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +2m44.7s |
| 9 | Campana Pierre / De Castelli Sabrina | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +2m56.8s |
| 10 | Gardemeister Toni / Suominen Tapio | Škoda Fabia S2000 | +3m59.7s |
| 11 | Hotz Grégoire / Ravasi Pietro | Peugeot 207 S2000 | +5m07.4s |
| 12 | Basso Giandomenico / Dotta Mitia | Proton Satria Neo S2000 | +5m21.1s |
| 13 | Medici Davide / De Luis Daniele | Renault Clio S1600 | +5m30.0s |
| 14 | Albertini Stefano / Scattolin Simone | Renault Clio R3 | +6m01.2s |
| 15 | Guglielmi Pierre Antoine / Porcu Jean François | Renault Clio R3 | +6m21.4s |