Mecsek Rally: Incidents after SS2

It´s been an action-packed opening morning of the Canon Mecsek Rallye, and for some entrants the pre-event optimism has already been cut short.

Giandomenico Basso’s PROTON Satria Neo S2000 stopped after crossing the flying finish of SS1. Engine failure is suspected although the car has yet to be returned to the service park.

Basso’s team-mate Per-Gunnar Andersson also had a tough morning after damaging a wheel on SS2.

"I slid wide and hit a kerb," he said. "It broke the rim. We stopped after about one kilometre to change it, but by that point parts of the wheel had got stuck between the brake calliper and the chassis and we couldn’t get it off.

"We had to get back in and drive on carefully for a couple of kilometres. By then the wheel had pretty much melted and fallen off."

Peugeot’s Bruno Magalhães is now lying 16th overall after encountering gearbox issues on the second stage.

"I have to change the gearbox now," he said. "There were cars coming past me on the straight, 20ks faster than me. I could do nothing about it. We need to change things at service."

ŠKODA driver Karl Kruuda finished the second stage with damaged bodywork and reported that he was struggling to get to grips with the car: "It was not a very big accident - only minor damage although the sound in the car was massive. It’s not the best way to start the day. I don’t know, maybe I didn’t hear the pace note right.

"The brakes - I don’t know how to use them correctly. The feeling isn’t there, and there’s a lot of understeer."