SS11: Mikkelsen closes on Azores lead

Andreas Mikkelsen has closed to within six seconds of Juho Hänninen in the thrilling battle for victory on Sata Rallye Açores, round six of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Mikkelsen, in a ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000, was 2.3s faster than factory ŠKODA driver Hänninen through stage 11, the 13.06-kilometre Lagoa-Marques test. “That’s the way we want to go,” said Mikkelsen. “Now we are quite at the maximum.”

Hänninen said: “We were very lucky. There were massive rocks on the line. Andreas made a good time in there.”

Patrik Sandell has dropped to seventh overall after being handed a one-minute time penalty for an early check-in at stage nine. However, the Swede insisted the penalty had been handed out in error.

Bryan Bouffier, in a Peugeot France 207, moves into fifth spot and will start first on the road on day three if the order remains unchanged on Friday’s final stage.

Overall positions after SS11