SS1: Mikkelsen takes early Sibiu Rally lead

Andreas Mikkelsen has made the best possible start to the Sibiu Rally, round eight of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, by winning the opening special stage of the gravel event in Romania.

Mikkelsen, in a ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000, took 4m14.1s to complete the 7.30-kilometre Dobârca test and told IRC Rally Radio’s Chris Rawes afterwards: “It was very loose running first on the road so there was a lot of cleaning but no pushing at all, just driving safely. It’s been a long wait this morning so it’s nice to get started. The car was perfect.”

Patrik Flodin said his PS Engineering M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 was not “easy to drive” despite setting the second fastest time, 3.8s down on Mikkelsen. “The car was sliding too much at the rear, I have to make some changes to the suspension clicks,” the Swede reported.

ŠKODA Auto Deutschland’s Sepp Wiegand and Saintéloc Racing’s Mathieu Arzeno both admitted to struggling on the slippery surface. They were third and seventh fastest respectively, separated by Hungarian Gergély Szabó, rallying legend François Delecour who was the leading Peugeot 207 Super 2000 runner, 8.3s down on Mikkelsen, and Romanian ŠKODA driver Dan Girtofan.

Behind Ukrainian youngster Vitaliy Puskhar, Bogdan Marisca was ninth fastest, one place ahead of Marco Tempestini in a Napoca Rally Academy-entered Fabia, which he is using in competition for the first time.

Valentin Porcisteanu reported briefly going off the road in his Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X but was nevertheless 0.4s quicker than IRC Production Cup title leader Andreas Aigner, who completed the stage with slight damage to his Stohl Racing Subaru Impreza R4 STI.

“We hit some bushes with the left rear but I don’t think there’s any big damage,” said the Austrian. “The door was open so it was a little dusty inside the car.”