SS9: Tempestini fastest, problems for Protasov

Marco Tempestini has clocked the fastest time out of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge crews competing on the first stage of today’s Prime Yalta Rally.

Piloting a Subaru Impreza R4 STI, Tempestini set a time of 12m35.6s through the day’s opening 18.95-kilometre Opolznevoje 1 stage. Second quickest was Yağiz Avci in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000, finishing the test 17.4s adrift of pace-setter Tempestini.

Local driver Yuriy Protasov hit problems during the stage, and has now slipped to second in the overall classification. Avci now leads Tempestini by over one minute with five stages of the rally remaining.

Third quickest through SS9 was Ukraine’s Mykola Chmykh, finishing 2.1s behind Avci in an Impreza. Turk Murat Bostani was fourth quickest in a Ford Fiesta R2, with Robert Consani rounding off the fifth fastest stage times at the wheel of a Renault Mégane RS.

Frenchman Consani continues to comfortably lead both the IRC Production Cup and the IRC 2WD Cup.

Puncture for Protasov as Avci takes lead

Yuriy Protasov has dropped to second on the Prime Yalta Rally leaderboard after the Ukrainian driver incurred a puncture on his M-Sport Ford Fiesta RRC during SS9.

Protasov was leading the 10th round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge overnight but Turkey’s Yağiz Avci has now snatched the number one spot in a Ford Fiesta S2000.

“We just spoke to Yuriy and he said he’d picked up a puncture and lost over one minute,” explained a team representative for Protasov. “He didn’t stop to change the tyre until after the stage but everything else is okay.”

Stage 10, the 22.35-kilomtre Sokolinoje 1 test, will go live at 09:47hrs local time.