Cyprus: Neuville in the lead, Hänninen out

There are already only 4 title contenders left after only 3 special stages. Juho Hänninen was well placed in the Championship to try to win his second consecutive coronation in the discipline. But the Skoda driver rolled over in the first moments of the second special of the stage and lost any chance of being crowned. The Skoda Fabia S2 was unable to get back on the road after rolling over.

Andreas Mikkelsen (Skoda) was the first leader of the Rally from Cyprus. A spin by the Norwegian in the 3rd special, however, left the lead of the event to Thierry Neuville (Peugeot ), who shines at the start of the rally in the gravel specials. The Belgian is 8??8 ahead of the last winner in Scotland when he joins the service.

Jan Kopecky (Skoda) occupies 3rd place, 12?4 behind Andreas Mikkelsen and must adapt to his new crew, his former co-driver having had to give up his place following an illness. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Ford) is currently in a surprising 4th position, only 4 seconds behind the Championship leader. Patrik Sandell and Freddy Loix (Skoda) complete the top six, around a minute from the lead.