A DAY OF PUNCTURES BLOWS POTENTIAL PODIUM FINISH FOR GUY AND PHILGuy and Phil had the pace that should have been rewarded with a podium finish only to have it taken away from them, after picking up two punctures on the second day.
Day One of the Prime Yalta rally was a perfect start for the Peugeot UK Team. Guy and Phil set the third fastest time on the first stage and then posted the fastest time on the second stage to make it a Peugeot one and two at the end of the day’s rallying.
Just one tenth of a second separated Phil and Guy from the lead position as they started the second day. Overnight rain, however, made the stages very treacherous and it was necessary to strike a fine balance between the need to be competitive and the necessity not to make any mistakes.
A safe run through the second day’s first stage saw Guy and Phil set the fourth fastest time maintaining their second position overall. A fast run through the next stage looked like they would move into the lead, until they picked up a rear puncture and lost the tyre off the wheel. They lost over 40 seconds and dropped down to sixth place overall. With tyres replaced they attacked the next stages and fought their way back up the leader board to within 3.2 seconds of third place as they entered the day’s final stage.
“We were driving through a sixth-gear left-hander in the woods, about eight kilometres into the stage, when I suddenly felt an impact via the steering wheel,” commented Guy. “The tyre deflated instantly and we had no choice but to stop in the stage and change the wheel.” The puncture and wheel change cost over two minutes in lost time and dropped Phil and Guy down to fifth place overall.
With a gap of 2m 49 seconds to the leader and only six stages to run on the final day there was now no chance of victory. Instead Guy and Phil started the final day in an unenviable position, too far behind to attack for fourth place following the two punctures, but clear of the chasing pack. Therefore, Guy was now faced with the challenge of finding a comfortable pace to maintain his position whilst making no mistakes.
A well controlled drive saw the Peugeot UK 207 S2000 maintain its fifth place overall but, Guy and Phil should have been challenging for overall victory if it had not been for the two punctures. They left Yalta frustrated but with the knowledge that they have the pace to win rallies and with a little good fortune that win will not be far away.
The next rally is the Geko Ypres Rally on 23 – 25 June
Final Classification – Prime Yalta Rally
1. Hanninen (Skoda) 2h27mn06.6s2. Bouffier (Peugeot) +11.7s3. Kopecky (Skoda) +38.7s4. Mikkelsen (Skoda) +57.3s5. Wilks (Peugeot) +4m00.4s6. Neuville (Peugeot) +5m.01.5s
Drivers’ championship standings after round 4 of 12
1. Hänninen, 58 points2. Kopecky, 553. Bouffier, 494. Neuville, 485. Loix, 456. Wilks, 357. Mikkelsen, 28 etc…
Manufacturers’ championship standings
1. Skoda, 146 points2. Peugeot, 1343. Subaru, 334. Honda, 285. M-Sport (Ford), 276. Proton, 16= Ralliart, 168. Abarth, 4
