Mikkelsen takes Rally of Spain super-special

October 24, 2014 | 10:18

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Over a 3.2-kilometre course, Mikkelsen finished 1.8 second ahead of team-mate Ogier with Belgium's Thierry Neuville, in a Hyundai, third, 2.9 seconds off the lead.

Norway's driver Andreas Mikkelsen and co-driver Ola Floene steer their Volkswagen Polo R WRC during the first stage of the 50th Rally of Catalonia in urban circuit in Barcelona. (AFP/JOSEP LAGO)

BARCELONA: Norwegian VW Polo driver Andreas Mikkelsen won the opening super-special stage of the Rally of Spain on Thursday (Oct 23), the penultimate race in the world championship season where Sebastien Oger hopes to retain his world title.

Over a 3.2-kilometre course, raced twice around Barcelona's historic Montjuic district, Mikkelsen finished 1.8 second ahead of team-mate Ogier with Belgium's Thierry Neuville, in a Hyundai, third, 2.9 seconds off the lead.

Ogier just needs to score one point more than team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala this weekend to defend the title he won for the first time last year. The French driver missed the opportunity to seal the championship in France earlier this month when mechanical problems in his Volkswagen were compounded by a time penalty.

That allowed Latvala to reduce the lead in the standings to 27 points with just a maximum of 28 available in Spain and in the season-ending event in Wales in November. The Rally of Spain continues on Friday with six stages.

AFP

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