Carlos Sainz wins, Robby Gordon impresses
The only driver to finish the 63 km in less than 40 minutes was Spaniard Carlos Sainz (VW), who won the first special stage for cars in the Central Europe Rally, but with only a short lead of 41 seconds over Robby Gordon.
The American, who started in 12th position, managed to prevent a one-two for the Wolfsburg-based constructor because South African Giniel De Villiers (VW) took 3rd place. In 4th position, Stephane Peterhansel is the leading Mitsubishi driver and is 1′02″ behind the day’s winner.
It was in fine spring sunshine and in front of large crowds that the caravan set off from the podium in Budapest this morning, heading for Dabas, the site of the first special and its 63 km, the real start of this first Central Europe Rally. This first time-trial sector was fought out in ideal conditions: bright sunshine and pleasant temperatures, making for a very quick and bumpy track, which most of the competitors enjoyed.
The car category witnessed a outstanding performance by Robby Gordon, who started in 12th position, made the most of his 2-wheel drive Hummer’s speed to grab the second best time on the special, 15” in front of South African Giniel De Villiers.
However, first and foremost, this first special stage saw confirmation of Carlos Sainz as a major favourite for outright victory. Whilst he admitted that the very “bumpy” track was not to his liking, Volkswagen’s Spaniard took control of the event with a lead of 41” over Gordon. As is customary, Stephane Peterhansel set off cautiously and in the end finished 4th, 1′02” behind the leader, but the first of the Mitsubishi drivers.
All the competitors did not waste time in setting off on the link stage to Baia Mare in Romania, involving a 410-km journey on tarmac. This time, the motorcyclists and quad riders are allowed to load their machines onto their teams’ trucks, but they still have to cross the stage’s finishing line on their machines, probably at the start of the evening.
Press Release ASO
