SS12: Neuville fastest again

Thierry Neuville notched up another stage win in the Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg 207 S2000, bringing himself into contention for the overall lead. Third placed Neuville is 18.7s behind Canon Mecsek Rallye leader Andreas Mikkelsen but took 13.8s out of the ŠKODA driver over the 12km stage.

Reports from the team indicate that Mikkelsen had no technical issues and simply backed off a little too much. “We pushed hard on the first stage this morning and took time out of Jan [Kopecký]," said Mikkelsen after SS11, "but since then we’ve been driving with a good pace and rhythm and not maximum. Eighteen seconds is quite a lot – it should be enough.”

Mikkelsen may yet have to find his maximum again, because Kopecký – who set the second fastest stage time, 5.4s down on Neuville’s 6m48.4s benchmark – is now just 10.4s behind with two stages left to run, one of which is 24km long.

Hermann Gassner Jnr continued to improve in what is only his second asphalt event in the Red Bull ŠKODA, outpacing the more experienced Freddy Loix by 0.3s with a 7m02.4s, the fifth quickest time.