SS4: podium battle tightens

Another stage win for ŠKODA UK´s Andreas Mikkelsen, but Freddy Loix was second fastest through the 14km Alsómocsolád stage as he continued to fight Jan Kopecký for the final podium slot.

Mikkelsen made it three out of four stage wins with a 6m53.2s, while Loix crossed the line just 0.7s slower and Thierry Neuville subsequently matched Loix’s time. Kopecký came through 0.1s adrift.

"We wanted to push here again and we did," said Mikkelsen. "The car is just perfect."

"I feel like it’s the last day of Barum with Kopecký," said Loix. "We’re playing again for tenths of a second. I enjoyed that stage. The final part was really quick."

"After the start the stage was quite nice, but then there are more chicanes," said Kopecký. "In the last two kilometers, there were people standing everywhere and we’re running there in sixth gear at around 180kmh. It was quite dangerous."

"The car feels good," said Neuville, "but our tyres are quite badly worn and in the end we were sliding too much."

Frigyes Turán fought back after his disappointment in SS3 to post the fifth quickest time, while Guy Wilks finished 8.9s down on the leaders, slower than leading IRC Production Cup entrant György Aschenbrenner and Peugeot privateer Róbert Bútor.

"At the start it was quick and we were a bit too cautious," explained Wilks. "The car was moving around a lot towards the end so it’s difficult to be fully committed."

Since just 10.5s separated the top 10 finishers, this was a stage that punished caution. Bryan Bouffier slipped down to eighth overall with a time 12.2s off Mikkelsen’s benchmark.

"I was pushing and then I came around a corner and found some spectators crossing the road," he said. "They were crazy."