Ireland - after SS12 and SS13: Anguish for Mikkelsen

Juho Hänninen has gone fastest on both runs through the Lisburn town centre stage in his ŠKODA Motorsport Fabia Super 2000.

But while the Finn celebrated his brace of stage victories on the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally, there was despair for rival Andreas Mikkelsen who went off on the first run and damaged his ŠKODA UK entry.

The Norwegian’s delay means he is now 43.8s behind Hänninen in the battle for victory on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge event with two stages remaining.

“It’s easy to make a mistake and that’s why you have to fight for every second on every stage,” said Hänninen. “But there are now two stages to go and many kilometres and we don’t know whether it is raining. We have to focus.”

Mikkelsen, who had been embroiled in a close fight with Hänninen since start of the rally, slid into hay bales and inflicted damage to the right side of his car. “I went off in the stage, the feeling is strange now,” he said.

Jan Kopecký was second fastest on the first run with Craig Breen third in his Peugeot 207 S2000. Mathieu Arzeno was fourth quickest with Sepp Wiegand next up for ŠKODA Auto Deutschland.

Azreno was second fastest behind Hänninen on the second run, just 0.3s adrift of the Finn in his Saintéloc Peugeot. Mikkelsen was third quickest with Breen fourth fastest.

There are now two stages remaining with Banbridge North due to go live at 16:58hrs local time.