Peugeot´s Bouffier to start first in Sanremo

Bryan Bouffier and co-driver Xavier Panseri will run first on the road on the opening seven stages of Rallye Sanremo, round nine of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, today (Friday).

At the wheel of their Peugeot France 207 Super 2000, the Rallye Monte-Carlo winners will be followed by IRC title leaders Jan Kopecký and Petr Starý in a ŠKODA Motorsport Fabia S2000.

BFO-ŠKODA Rally Team duo Freddy Loix and Frédéric Miclotte go third with Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul fourth in their Team Peugeot-Belgium Luxembourg 207.

Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene are next up in their ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia with Giandomenico Basso and Mitia Dotta the leading Italian crew in their PROTON Motorsports’ Satria Neo S2000.

Crews will run in one-minute intervals with Bouffier and Panseri due to leave the starting ramp in Sanremo at 13:20hrs local time. The opening stage, Coldirodi, goes live at 13:54hrs. There are 57 starters in total.

Top 10 starting positions (day one)
1 Bryan Bouffier/Xavier Panseri (Peugeot 207 S2000)
2 Jan Kopecký/Petr Starý (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)
3 Freddy Loix/Frédéric Miclotte (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)
4 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (Peugeot 207 S2000)
5 Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)
6 Giandomenico Basso/Mitia Dotta (PROTON Satria Neo S2000)
7 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Peugeot 207 S2000)
8 Chris Atkinson/Stéphane Prévot (PROTON Satria Neo S2000)
9 Toni Gardemeister/Tapio Suominen (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)
10 Bruno Magalhães/Paulo Grave (Peugeot 207 S2000)