Kajetan Kajetanowicz a pris le commandement du Rallye de Chypre CNP ASFALISTIKI. Le leader du Championnat d’Europe FIA des Rallyes possède une avance de 2’17’’8 à l’issue de cette première journée.
Kajto et son copilote Jarek Baran se sont montrés très adroits sur ces sections au double revêtement, faisant bon usage des pneus Pirellu XR et de leurs qualités. L’entraînement physique que le Polonais avait suivi s’est avéré très utile dans ces températures proches de 30°. Ce dernier n’a pas hésité à attaquer pour accroitre son avance.
« C’était une superbe journée, a déclaré Kajetanowicz. Les spéciales sont juste incroyables. Nous avons été propres, excepté ces deux petites erreurs. Le ressenti est très important sur cette épreuve, vous devez apprendre à lire la route car cette dernière évolue en permanence. Les sections de demain sont plus rapides donc je vais devoir peut-petre changer de stratégie, en me montrant moins agressif. »
Bruno Magalhaes s’est dit ravi de sa 2e place provisoire car le Portugais était un peu nerveux dans la boucle du matin. En proie à des problèmes de démarreur, Magalhaes a dû faire preuve de prudence. Mais arrivé au parc fermé pour la pause déjeuner, ce souci a pu être résolu et son équipe en a également profité pour changer les réglages des suspensions, en les rendant plus souples. Le pilote de la Peugeot 208 T16 a pu attaquer et conserver sa 2e place avec un écart de 50’’ sur le 3e.
Jaromir Tarabus occupe cette 3e position malgré un problème hors du commun survenu dans l’ES1: la roue de secours s’est déplacée et a arrêté un des ventilateurs situés à l’arrière de sa Skoda Fabia S2000. Un témoin indiquant un souci de transmission s’est alors allumé au niveau du tableau de bord. Le problème a pu être rapidement résolu bien qu’il ait raté une épingle, laissant échapper au passage quelques petites secondes.
Robert Consani, a dû surmonter de nombreux ennuis, pour se maintenir au 4e rang. Le Français, qui manquait au départ de confiance avec les réglages effectués sur sa Citroën DS3 R5, est parti en tête à queue à deix reprises après avoir raté des freinages. Consani, qui est associé ce week-end à une nouvelle copilote Lara Vanneste, a ensuite dû faire face à une surchauffe moteur dans la 2e boucle, engendrant une réduction de la puissance.
Antonin Tlustak est 7e sur sa Skoda Fabia S2000, juste derrière le leader ERC2 Christos Demosthenous et Dávid Botka.
Alexey Lukyanuk, qui avait décroché le 2e temps de la spéciale qualificative ce vendredi, avait choisi de s’élancer en 15e position… Un choix qu’il n’allait pas regretter puisqu’il signe le temps scratch de l’ES1. Oui mais voilà, la direction assistée de sa Ford Fiesta R5 Russian Performance Motorsport, l’avait laché à deux kms de la fin de la première section chronométrée. Et en dépit des efforts produits à la mi-journée –son équipe avait changé la crémaillière de direction- il semblerait que ce problème soit plus électrique que mécanique. Lukyanuk a dû parcourir toutes les spéciales de l’après-midi –soit 95 kms- sans direction assistée. L’effort exigé est tel dans ces conditions, que son copilote Alexey Arnautov a pris le volant durant les liaisons pour lui permettre de reposer ses bras. Il pointe désormais à la 8e place après huit ES.
L’Estonien Raul Jeets complète le top 10 sur sa MM-Motorsport Fiesta R5, juste derrière Peter Ranga, pilote ERC2. Sa première venue à Chypre est loin d’être de tout repos néanmoins avec une crevaison survenue dans l’ES1 et un accélérateur coincé durant deux kms sur la portion suivante.
Kajetan ‘Kajto’ Kajetanowicz has taken control of the CNP ASFALISTIKI Cyprus Rally, after a superb opening day in which the FIA European Rally Championship leader has set all-but one fastest stage time to lead overnight by 2m17.8s.
Over the fast, relatively smooth and demanding mix of gravel and Tarmac sections, Kajto and co-driver Jarek Baran have reigned supreme in their LOTOS Rally Team Ford Fiesta R5 today, using both their skill and their Pirelli XR tyres to good effect. The extra physical training Kajto has done in the build up to the event has also helped, as temperatures in Cyprus hit 30°C, whilst two moments illustrated how hard the Polish driver had pushed to establish such an impressive lead.
“It has been a fantastic day for us,” said Kajetanowicz. “The stages are amazing here, and we have had a good lap in the morning and in the afternoon, with only two mistakes. Feeling is very important here, because you have to read the roads well, because they are changing all the time. Tomorrow’s stages are much faster, so I might have to change my plans and not attack as much.”
Bruno Magalhães is delighted to be second tonight, after a somewhat nervous morning in which he had to make sure he didn’t spin and stall the engine in his Peugeot 208 T16, because without a working starter motor something so simple could have stranded him mid-stage. The midday service not only cured that issue, but with softer suspension set-up the Portuguese ace was able to push in the afternoon, and whilst the high temperatures cause some pop-off valve issues, Magalhães held second place with a 50s cushion.
Jaromír Tarabus is third, despite an unusual problem in his ŠKODA Fabia S2000 when the spare wheel moved and stopped the fan for the rear differential radiator turning, causing a transmission warning light to come on. The problem was quickly fixed and despite losing time when he overshot a hairpin on SS1, the Czech driver was enjoying the fast and smooth conditions.
Robert Consani overcame numerous problems to hold fourth. The Frenchman lacked confidence with the set-up of his Citroën DS3 R5 initially, spinning the Delta Rally-run car twice on the opening loop of stages and also losing the rear brakes. Together with new co-driver Lara Vanneste, Consani completed the afternoon loop, despite high engine and turbo temperature readings and a reduction in power.
Antonín Tlusťák is seventh in his ŠKODA Fabia S2000, just behind the leading ERC2 drivers, Christos Demosthenous and Dávid Botka.
Alexey Lukyanuk had been second fastest over yesterday’s Qualifying Stage, but in contrast to his ERC rivals he had elected to start leg one 15th on the road – and the gambled looked to have worked when he set fastest time on the opening stage. However, his Russian Performance Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5 had lost its power steering 2kms before the end of the opening test. Despite the H-Racing team changing the steering rack in midday service, the problem appears to be electrical rather than mechanical, and Lukyanuk had to complete almost all of day one’s stages, approximately 95kms, with no power steering at all. Such is the incredible physical effort that co-driver Alexey Arnautov drove on the road sections to give Lukyanuk a rest, but alas it cost him five minutes during the day, dropping him from first place after SS1 to an arm-arching eighth overall after SS8.
Estonia’s Raul Jeets completed the top 10 in his MM-Motorsport Fiesta R5, ending the day just behind the ERC2 car of Peter Ranga. Jeets is enjoying his first visit to Cyprus, although it has been far from trouble-free, with a puncture and broken rear roll bar on SS1 and the throttle sticking open for 2kms on SS2.
Christos Demosthenous didn’t think it would be possible to match his sixth place overall finish he achieved on last year’s CNP ASFALISTIKI Cyprus Rally, but after the opening leg of this year’s event he leads ERC2 and is fifth overall.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX driver took the lead on SS4 – his third fastest overall stage time helped by the fact that his home is located on that road too! By the end of the first day, Demosthenous had increased his advantage to 24.9s, thanks to a very good performance and rival Dávid Botka picking up a gearbox problem. The Hungarian led ERC2 after SS3, and was just 2.4s behind Demosthenous when he lost third and fourth gears on SS6 in his Mitsubishi.
Peter Ranga survived a big moment on SS2 to complete the opening day in third position in his Topp-Cars Rallye Team Mitsubishi, while ERC2 points leader Vojtěch Štajf was happy to have reached the finish of day one, on the Subaru Czech National Team Impreza WRX STI driver’s only second ever gravel rally. Stavros Antoniou completed the day’s ERC2 finishers in fifth.
Panikos Polykarpou, the 24-year old Cypriot FIA Young Drivers Excellence Academy member, started first on the road, but crashed his Mitsubishi on the opening stage. Dominykas Butvilas led ERC2 after SS2, but crashed his Subaru Poland Rally Team Impreza WRX STI on SS3. The same stage also saw Tibor Érdi leave the road in his Mitsubishi.
