SS7: Drama in Ypres as Mikkelsen retires

The Geko Ypres Rally leaderboard has been turned on its head as day two of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge got off to a dramatic start.

Defending IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen is out after breaking a suspension arm on his ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia overshooting a junction and going off the road approximately 16 kilometres into the 26.75-kilometre Heuvelland 1 test.

Members of his team have been despatched to the stage to bring the damaged Fabia Super 2000 back to service in Ypres, confirmation of Mikkelsen’s first retirement in the IRC since the Canon Mecsek Rallye in Hungary last September.

IRC 2WD Cup leader Kris Princen has crashed his Renault Mégane RS, while a broken driveshaft has hit Patrik Flodin’s hopes of a podium finish in his Petter Solberg Engineering M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000. Princen’s retirement means Martin Kangur now leads the IRC 2WD Cup for Honda.

Dream Team Ukraine’s Oleksandr Saliuk is up to seventh after going fifth fastest through the stage on his Ypres Rally debut.

Jasper Van den Heuvel has overtaken Subaru’s Andreas Aigner in the chase for IRC Production Cup honours. The Dutchman was a sensational fourth quickest in his Ralliart Lancer. The class has lost Cédric De Cecco, who crashed his Lancer on the stage.

Out front, former IRC champion Juho Hänninen has claimed his sixth stage victory on the challenging asphalt event following another sensational performance in his ŠKODA Motorsport Fabia Super 2000. His overall advantage ahead of Freddy Loix now stands at 38.2s.