Thrilling Cyprus Rally to decide IRC crown

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Drivers from around the world will be lining up in two weeks’ time for the Cyprus Rally, the summit of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and a coefficient 2 event that will bring the curtain down on a thrilling IRC season.
The Cyprus Rally will kick off on the evening of Wednesday, November 3 with the Super Special Stage, a 3.2km tarmac section in the heart of downtown Paphos, which is expected to prove a spectacular opener to the event.
On November 4 and 5 the crews will tackle a further ten special stages, which will be mixed surface.
Jan Kopecky of the Czech Republic enters the Cyprus event at the top of the IRC standings, six points ahead of his team-mate Juho Hanninen of Finland. Both drivers will field Skoda Fabia S2000 and, like their competitors for the title, will be keen to make the most of the double points on offer.
Also in the running for the title, and also steering Skoda Fabias, are Norway’s Andreas Mikkelsen, who took the win at this month’s RACMSA Rally of Scotland, and Belgium’s Freddy Loix. The 23-year-old Belgian driver, Thierry Neuville, who has already scored two IRC victories this year, will also be fighting for the crown in his Peugeot 207 S2000. The rally will feature a strong international field of competitors, with Yokohama sending Toshihiro Arai of Japan and Burcu Cetinkaya of Turkey.
Given his phenomenal run of success on Cyprus events, all eyes will be on Qatari star Nasser Al-Attiyah, who won last year’s Cyprus Rally, this year’s Paphos International Rally and numerous previous events on the island. Al-Attiyah will take to the stages in his Ford Fiesta S2000.
The international crews will face tough competition from local crews who will be keen to make the most of their home advantage. Familiar faces hoping to take to the winners’ podium will include Constantinos Tingirides, Savvas Savva, Doros Loukaides and Panayiotis Yiangou.
Immediately after the Cyprus Rally, on November 6, motorsport fans will enjoy a thrilling Golden Stage Rally, an all-or-nothing single stage event that will see a host of top drivers go head to head in their bid to secure a share of a 150,000-euro prize.