SS1: Mikkelsen takes early IRC Cyprus lead

Andreas Mikkelsen leads the Cyprus Rally after setting the pace on the opening special stage through the streets of Pafos tonight.

The defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion from Norway took 2m48.6s to complete the 3.20-kilometre test in his ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000, the running of which was delayed and then interrupted while event organisers waited for the huge numbers of fans that flocked to watch the action around Pafos Town Hall to take up safe viewing spots.

IRC Production Cup contender Jarkko Nikara, from Finland, was a sensational second fastest – 4.4s down on Mikkelsen – in his Subaru Impreza R4 STI with Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, the winner in Cyprus in 2010, third quickest, 5.7s adrift of Mikkelsen at the wheel of an M-Sport Ford Fiesta RRC.

Japanese Subaru driver Toshi Arai equalled Al-Attiyah’s time with Sepp Wiegand fifth fastest for ŠKODA Auto Deutschland and Yazeed Al-Rajhi setting the sixth best time in his Fiesta.

Saturday’s action begins with stage two, the 23.97-kilometre Koilinia test at 08:13hrs local time. Twenty-two per cent of the stage is on Tarmac with 78 per cent running on gravel. Click here for live IRC results.