Prokop edges close S-WRC fight

The battle for honours in the Super 2000 World Rally Championship is tightly poised following the opening day of action on ADAC Rallye Deutschland.

Martin Prokop, at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta S2000, leads the category but his advantage over P-G Andersson is a slender 5.7 seconds heading into day two of the all-asphalt contest.

Prokop has held the class lead throughout the day but after surviving three spins in the morning, Andersson was the man to watch in the afternoon by completing the final two stages as the fastest S-WRC runner as Prokop suffered a scare of his own.

“I’m going to need to find more speed tomorrow because P-G is coming very fast,” said Prokop at final service on Friday. “There haven’t been many problems, only stage five when some spectators threw some liquid on my windscreen and it made it difficult to see for a few seconds.”

Andersson was pleased with his performance on Friday afternoon but admitted he was surprised at the pace of his compatriot Patrik Sandell in a similar Skoda Fabia. Sandell is not known as an asphalt expert but drove well throughout the day. He was the fastest S-WRC runner on stage two and, but for an overshoot on stage four when he lost 15 seconds, would have been in the thick of the lead battle.

“There’s more speed to come from me tomorrow,” said Sandell. “I’m feeling confident with my car and I’m really enjoying it.”

Eyvind Brynildsen holds fourth in class after overcoming brake problems on stage one on his first outing for the JM Racing team following his switch from the Rene Georges Rally Sport squad. “Apart from the brakes it’s been a good day and I have been able to find a good rhythm,” said the Norwegian. “I am having fun with my new team and everything seems to be working well.”

S-WRC title leader Xevi Pons is fifth overnight following his broken suspension woes on stage one with Bernardo Sousa sixth in another Fiesta. Sousa was hampered by broken powersteering on stage five, while Pons’ co-driver Alex Haro said the Spanish pair had not been happy with their times in the afternoon, despite their mechanics fixing their damaged Fiesta at midday service. “It’s important we don’t have any more problems now and make sure we finish,” said Haro.

Albert Llovera is seventh in his Abarth Grande Punto with Michal Kosciuszko completing the S-WRC contingent in his Skoda following an off into a field on stage four, which left his Fabia minus a front-left driveshaft and considerable cosmetic damage to the front end.

“It was a four-left corner, I got onto some dust and had a really scary moment when all I could see was a big bush,” said the Pole. “We jumped through it into a field but fortunately there was nothing behind it. However, we had not front-left driveshaft although the engine and gearbox are okay.”