Rally Islas Canarias delayed by 30 minutes

Rally Islas Canarias, round four of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, is running 30 minutes behind schedule following the delay caused when Jonathan Perez’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X caught fire at the end of the fifth stage and blocked the finish area.

It has resulted in the crews being held in a regroup adjacent to the service park in Las Palmas for longer and means the seventh Era del Cardón stage won’t get underway until 18:03hrs local time.

Following Era del Cardón, crews tackle the Ingenio stage in the centre of Gran Canaria, which at 29.95 kilometres is the longest of the rally. The final stage of the day is La Atalaya de Santa Brigada, a 7.80-kilometre test due to start at 19:33hrs, before the last 45-minute service in Las Palmas.

Perez’s Mitsubishi was destroyed in the fire although both he and co-driver Enrique Velasco were uninjured.