SS7: Wiegand out, Nikara delayed in Cyprus

Sepp Wiegand has hit trouble in his bid for a maiden Intercontinental Rally Challenge podium.

The rising German ace started Saturday’s final stage in third place but has failed to make it through the all-gravel Panayia run amid reports of broken steering on his ŠKODA Auto Deutschland Fabia Super 2000.

Meanwhile, reigning IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen’s run of stage wins on the Cyprus Rally is over after he picked up a front-left puncture.

Driving a ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000, Mikkelsen had been fastest on all but one stage today. He was seven kilometres from the finish of the 30.41-kilometre test and was 16s quicker than event leader Nasser Al-Attiyah when he hit trouble, leaving Al-Attiyah to claim the stage win in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta RRC.

"I drove like crazy for the first 17 kilometres but then got a puncture seven kilometres from the end,” said Mikkelsen, who will start Sunday’s final six stages trailing Al-Attiyah by 1m30.2s.

Elsewhere, Jarkko Nikara’s hopes of IRC Production Cup victory are in doubt after he stopped to change a puncture on his Subaru Impreza R4 STI. His Tommi Mäkinen Racing team-mate Toshi Arai now tops the class in a staggering third overall.