Azores - Dani Sordo still in the lead at a very uncertain end to the rally

By winning the ninth and tenth SS of the Azores Rally, the Spanish driver remains the leader by a short head before entering the final loop of the weekend.

Published on 18/09/2021 à 15:01

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Azores – Dani Sordo still in the lead at a very uncertain end to the rally

The Spaniard retained his place as leader of the Azores Rally before entering the final loop. ©FIAERC

During a very tight first day at the Azores Rally, under complicated weather conditions, the gap between the three leading men (Dani Sordo, Andreas Mikkelsen and Ricardo Moura) was only 4″5 seconds. If at the start of the seventh SS, the Spaniard Dani Sordo is the leader of this rally, Andreas Mikkelsen's two victories during the first two specials this Saturday will shake up the rankings. In front of Dani Sordo with a gap of 1″6 before starting the ninth SS, the Norwegian especially widened the gap with Ricardo Moura (+18″3). The Portuguese, who started well after the first loop and who dreamed of a new success at home after that of 2016, showed himself to be in great difficulty at the start of this second day, “lacking confidence” on a slippery road, according to his words. Note the retirements of Alexey Lukyanuk (fourth in the championship) and Erik Cais, due to a double puncture during the seventh special for the first and a radiator problem for the Czech.

Abandonment confirmed for Erik Cais 😢#FIAERC #AzoresRally pic.twitter.com/KcOmEweeFx

— European Rally Championship (@FIAERC) September 18, 2021

The ninth special will be won by Dani Sordo, who stops the good series of his Norwegian rival. The gap continues to widen between the two drivers and the rest of the participants. Third before entering the tenth SS, Ricardo Moura sees his place on the podium threatened by Efren Llarena. When entering the last special stage of this third loop, the gap between Andreas Mikkelsen and Dani Sordo was only 0″1 seconds…

Dani Fights back! Mikkelsen's lead is down to 0.1' 😱#FIAERC #AzoresRally pic.twitter.com/AA5y7aWhJF

— European Rally Championship (@FIAERC) September 18, 2021

The Spaniard will finish the third loop perfectly by winning the tenth SS, ahead of Mikkelsen. The two drivers went head to head, each winning two stages. In the rankings, Dani Sordo (2h01'56″2) is ahead of the Norwegian by 0″5 seconds. Ricardo Moura is third (+28″3) ahead of Efren Llarena (+42″6) and Mikolaj Marczyk (+1’58″9) who complete the top5. The final loop of this Azores rally, which contains three SS, starts at 16:27 p.m. The suspense remains as the gap between the two leaders is minimal...