Tour de Corse – Andreas Mikkelsen remains the man to beat

 

› Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler fight back in impressive style with their ŠKODA FABIA R5 and storm into the points in WRC 2

› Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger-Synnevaag remain very much in control at the front

› Both ŠKODA Motorsport’s ŠKODA FABIA R5 are running like clockwork

› Norwegian youngsters Ole Christian Veiby/Stig Rune Skjaermoen deliver excellent times

› On the final day of the Tour de Corse on Sunday, the teams will face the championships longest tarmac stage

 

Bastia/Corsica, 8 April 2017 – Andreas Mikkelsen and co-driver Anders Jæger-Synnevaag remain unstoppable with their ŠKODA FABIA R5 in the hard-fought WRC 2 category at the Tour de Corse. After two of three legs, the Norwegian pair is in the lead ahead of Finns Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula and currently occupy an outstanding seventh place in the overall classification. Having suffered steering problems during the first leg on Saturday, Jan Kopecký and co-driver Pavel Dresler in the second works ŠKODA FABIA R5 fought their way up to seventh place with a series of excellent times. As a result, they still have their sights firmly set on valuable championship points in the WRC 2.

"I was a bit too careful on the first special stage on Saturday – and because it was about 49 kilometres long, I immediately lost a lot of time," admits Andreas Mikkelsen. One stage later, he set again a dominant fastest time. As on the previous day, the Norwegian ŠKODA factory driver drove again with controlled risk in the fight at the WRC 2 competition, building his lead to more than one minute by the end of the second leg in Bastia.

In an act of brute force on Friday, Jan Kopecký brought his ŠKODA FABIA R5 across the line without power steering. Despite sore arms and shoulders, the Czech champion delivered excellent times on Saturday that brought him up to seventh place. "Thanks to my mechanics, my ŠKODA FABIA R5 ran perfectly today."

Still turning in a strong performance on their first tarmac rally are Norwegian youngsters Ole Christian Veiby/Stig Rune Skjaermoen, who currently hold an outstanding fourth place in the WRC 2 category with their privately run ŠKODA FABIA R5.

The final day of the Tour de Corse awaits on Sunday with the special stage from Antisanti to Poggio di Nazza. At around 54 kilometres, it’s the longest tarmac stage the teams will face in the world championship.

Current standings at the Tour de Corse (WRC 2)

1. Mikkelsen/Jæger-Synnevaag (NOR/NOR), ŠKODA FABIA R5, 2:50.31,9 h

2. Suninen/Markkula (FIN/FIN), Ford Fiesta R5, +1.07,9 min

3. Rossel/Fulcrand (FRA/FRA), Citroën DS3 R5, +3.34,9 min

4. Veiby/Skjaermoen (NOR/NOR), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +5.59,3 min

5. Tempestini/Bernacchini (ITA/ITA), Citroën DS3 R5, +6.44,5 min

6. Loubet/Landais (FRA/FRA), Ford Fiesta R5, +8.27,5 min

7. Kopecký/Dresler (CZE/CZE), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +9.59,4 min

The 2017 calendar for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2)

Event Date

Rally Monte Carlo 19.01.–22.01.2017

Rally Sweden 09.02.–12.02.2017

Rally Mexico 09.03.–12.03.2017

Rally France 06.04.–09.04.2017

Rally Argentina 27.04.–30.04.2017

Rally Portugal 18.05.–21.05.2017

Rally Italy 08.06.–11.06.2017

Rally Poland 29.06.–02.07.2017

Rally Finland 27.07.–30.07.2017

Rally Germany 17.08.–20.08.2017

Rally Spain 05.10.–08.10.2017

Rally Great Britain 26.10.–29.10.2017

Rally Australia 16.11.–19.11.2017