Here - HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS

EVENTS
repairs by going fastest of all on SS16 to
retake the place only to stop on the very
next run.
“It was very sudden and is a
real blow,” said Meeke. “It leaves the
championship hanging by a thread but I
have to be pleased with my performance
because I don’t think I’ve ever driven
as well on a Tarmac rally as I did this
weekend.”
Meeke’s retirement almost
brought about disaster for Kopecky and
Hanninen, who were both competing in
Madeira for the fi rst time. The Skoda
Fabia S2000 Facelift drivers were
running behind Meeke on the road when
they encountered a coating of oil on
the road, which had been dropped by
Meeke’s stricken Peugeot.
Kopecky managed to survive
a wild slide on the third-gear sweeping
left-hand corner, while Hanninen could
not avoid brushing a concrete retaining
wall. The impact caused damage to his
Fabia’s right-rear corner, which triggered
a puncture 8km from the end of the
stage and dropped the Finn behind local
driver Miguel Nunes.
But with Nunes concentrating
on maximising points in the Madeira
championship rather than maintaining
third place, Hanninen faced little
opposition on his charge to the fi nal
podium spot. Nunes, who only began
competing in 2006, revealed his surprise
at his fi nal position at the wheel of a
Peugeot 207 S2000, especially after his
original engine failed during a pre-event
test.
Vitor Sa overcame an oil
pressure problem to claim fi fth with
Filipe Freitas fi nishing as the leading
Group N runner in sixth overall following
Rui Pinto’s crash on SS16 in a similar
Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer. The fi nal
IRC points went to Joao Magalhaes
in seventh and Pedro Peres in eighth.
Ricardo Moura took ninth with Belgian
Dominique Bruyneel completing the top
ten on his fi rst visit to Madeira since
1993.
Burcu Cetinkaya achieved her
objective of reaching the fi nish in her
Peugeot Sport Turkey 207 S2000 as
she continues to gain vital experience
during her transition to four-wheel drive
competition. Brazil’s Daniel Oliveira also
completed the full distance in his Stohl
Racing-prepared 207 S2000 after a
mature drive.