SS2: Drama as Hänninen crashes out

There was high drama on Friday’s first stage in Cyprus this morning when defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Juho Hänninen rolled his ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 into retirement.

It effectively means that whoever of the four remaining IRC title contenders – Jan Kopecký, Freddy Loix, Andreas Mikkelsen and Thierry Neuville – wins the Cyprus Rally will claim the coveted title.

Hänninen is reported to have gone off the road on the second corner on the asphalt section of the 24.15-kilometre mixed surface Koilinia stage. It is understood his car ended up some distance from the road.

Andreas Mikkelsen, in a ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia S2000, has maintained his overall lead by going fastest through the stage, 3.9s quicker than Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg’s Thierry Neuville, who moves into second overall. Neuville was delayed starting the stage following Hänninen’s crash.

Nasser Al-Attiyah picked up a puncture on the road section heading to the stage and feared he had broken a front driveshaft on his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000.

Freddy Loix, competing on gravel for the first time in three years, said he’d made a hesitant start to the extent he was 46.8s slower than Mikkelsen. Jan Kopecký, who was fourth fastest, said he was too cautious.

Karl Kruuda lost time when the intercom failed in his Fabia. Patrik Sandell said he had too much wheelspin in his similar car.