SS12: Trouble for Kubica and Hanninen

Robert Kubica and Juho Hanninen both hit problems as the afternoon began with a second pass through the 15.00km Lesjofors stage.

First to suffer was Kubica, the Pole piling into a snowbank after a crest early in the stage. It took 10 minutes to rescue the Ford Fiesta RS from the white stuff and his place in the top 10 leaderboard has gone.

Hanninen came to a halt in the second part of the test with a damaged front wheel on his Hyundai i20. It is not known what happened but it spells the end of Hyundai’s interest in the day following the retirement of Thierry Neuville in the first pass through the stage this morning.

There was also concern in the cockpit of second-placed Andreas Mikkelsen. His Volkswagen Polo R finished with the radiator packed full of snow. Warning lights showed the water temperature soaring and the Norwegian headed off quickly to take a look.