Sunday
After SS10: Drama as Mikkelsen and Hanninen hit trouble
Day two of Barum Czech Rally Zlín has got off to a dramatic start with leader Juho Hänninen suffering a spin and defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Andreas Mikkelsen stopping twice with two punctures.
Mikkelsen, who had been in third but slips down to at least 10th place following his extensive delay, said: “It was going into a junction, I just took some extra space, went over a kerb and it must have been big enough to get a puncture on both wheels. I thought I would be okay but we needed to stop two times because of this. I changed one but then had to stop again. It was not a good stage.”
The Norwegian, in a ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000, was the only one of the leading trio to carry two spares, a decision he will be thankful of now. He had left morning service in Otrokovice with medium compound slick tyres with a ‘w’ cut to cope with the damp conditions in the forest areas and soft compound slick tyres, again with a ‘w’ cut at the rear.
Hänninen, running on hard compound slick tyres, reported spinning close to the stage start, which meant he had to reverse before he could continue. His lead over ŠKODA Motorsport team-mate Jan Kopecký, who won the stage, is now down to 5.2s. Hänninen was 6.2s slower than Kopecký through the 21.40-kilometre Halenkovice test.
“It was very tricky because it was raining quite a lot from the middle of the stage,” said the Czech ace, who is running on medium compound slick tyres. “There was fog and it was dark and you were not able to see the road.”
Tomáš Kostka said he elected not to push due to the slippery nature of the stage and the lack of visibility under tree cover. He was fifth quickest behind Roman Kresta.
Andreas Aigner, the IRC Production Cup leader who is running first on the road in his Subaru Impreza R4 STI, said: “It was good. The beginning was quite slippery in the forests. Our tyre choice was too hard but it was getting warmer and foggy for the last two or three kilometres. It’s raining in the stage a little but not too much.”
Robert Barrable said he regretted not attaching the lamp pod to his ŠKODA Ireland Fabia due to it being dark under tree cover. His margin over the chasing Jaromír Tarabus in the battle for sixth place is now down to 3.9s. Tarabus impressed with the third fastest time. Meanwhile, Karl Kruuda reported a lack of confidence on his mixed compound slicks.
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ircseries.com/news/859
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After SS11: Battle rages for IRC glory in Zlin
The battle for victory on Barum Czech Rally Zlín continues to intensify with factory ŠKODA drivers Juho Hänninen and Jan Kopecký embroiled in a close fight on the rain-hit Intercontinental Rally Challenge round.
Hänninen still leads after going fastest by 0.2s on the 11.42-kilometre Kudlovice run, despite a trip into a field, which left his Fabia Super 2000 with a cracked windscreen for the upcoming first Maják stage, which will be shown live on Eurosport and free-to-view Czech TV from 10:10hrs local time.
“I am on the hardest [compound] tyre from the stock so it’s quite interesting,” said the Finn. Kopecký, who trails Hänninen in the overall standings by 5.4s, said: “It’s really crazy weather. The forecast is not for rain but it’s raining like hell on this stage and 15 kilometres away it’s full sunshine.”
With driving conditions becoming increasingly difficult due to the slippery nature of the stage surface, some crews are reporting not being able to push as hard as they would like, particularly as the majority have chosen tyres in the belief it would be drier.
In the battle for what is now fifth place, Robert Barrable is staving off the threat posed by Jaromír Tarabus after going 0.7s quicker than the Czech. The Irishman’s advantage stands at 4.6s heading to stage 12. Having slipped behind him on the previous stage Tomáš Kostka is back ahead of Roman Kresta for what is now third place following Andreas Mikkelsen’s puncture on the stage 10. However, the Czech ŠKODA drivers are separated by a scant 0.2s.
The recovering Mikkelsen, who was third fastest and moves ahead of Peugeot driver Michał Sołowow into ninth overall, said: “I’m just trying to get a certain rhythm. If we can catch some places that would be nice but not with stupid driving.”
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ircseries.com/news/860
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After SS12: Hanninen flies in Zlin to extend IRC lead
A stunning stage time by Juho Hänninen has handed the former Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion a lead of 16.2s on Barum Czech Rally Zlín.
The ŠKODA Motorsport driver was 10.8s faster than team-mate Jan Kopecký through the 23.38-kilometre Maják stage, which was shown live on Eurosport and free-to-air Czech TV. “It was good,” said Hänninen, whose tally of 10 IRC wins is more than any other driver has managed. “I really was pushing that I can promise. We are here and that’s nice.”
Roman Kresta benefited from Tomáš Kostka’s “big moment” in the stage to move into third place in his self-run Fabia. Kostka, who specialises in circuit racing, completed the stage with a damaged wheel rim and now trails Kresta by 8.6s with three stages remaining.
Jaromír Tarabus, whose Fabia is prepared by Kresta’s team, has demoted Robert Barrable for fifth place, benefiting from his decision to bolt two wet-weather tyres on the front of his car ahead of the stage. The Czech now heads Barrable by 7.6s in the overall standings after going 1.7s faster than team-mate Kresta. “It’s good to push on the main road where it’s abrasive but in under the trees I don’t have the confidence to push,” said Barrable.
With no spare tyres available having used both to replace his punctured covers on stage 11, Andreas Mikkelsen is having to adopt a cautious approach in his ŠKODA UK-backed Fabia. The Norwegian was fifth quickest and holds ninth overall.
Crews are now heading to service in Otrokovice for a 30-minute halt ahead of the final loop of three stages.
click:
ircseries.com/news/861
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