Rossetti retakes lead in Madeira

The battle for victory on Rali Vinho Madeira continues to heat up after Luca Rossetti retook the lead of the asphalt event, round eight of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. "The car was sliding a lot before, but now it is much better," said the Italian driver.

Rossetti now heads Freddy Loix by 4.3s after going quickest through the repeat of the Terreiros stage with Kris Meeke third and Jan Kopecký still fourth despite suffering a moment in sixth gear : "I was very lucky, I had a big moment. The tyres were overheated."

Following the crash that eliminated Bruno Magalhães on stage three, there was more disappointment for the Portuguese drivers. Bernardo Sousa stopped when a fire ignited in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000’s engine bay. Miguel Campos, a former Madeira winner, stopped with a reported electrical problem on his Fiesta.

Overall positions after SS5: