Hänninen blames "stupid mistake" for exit

Juho Hänninen has spoken of the “stupid mistake”, which ended his dream of becoming Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion for a second year in succession.

Hänninen crashed out on the second corner of Friday’s first stage in Cyprus after running wide and rolling. A broken rear suspension arm would have forced his retirement although he had been unable to regain the road in any case, despite the efforts of a number of spectators.

“It was a stupid mistake,” said the ŠKODA Motorsport driver. “I was too fast for the corner, I still don’t know but we were out. We tried to get back onto the road but it was impossible. Now we repair the car and hope to come back tomorrow.”

A spokesperson for Hänninen’s ŠKODA team said: "It’s a shame for Juho but there is still a long way to go in this rally and there are still three ŠKODA drivers in the race for the title. That is the most important thing."