... extending his championship lead!
2008 Rally Turkey, fourth PWRC round, after Day 3
Hence Aigner is just the second driver in the history of the PWRC to accomplish three consecutive wins!
Done! Andreas Aigner (AUT)/Klaus Wicha (GER) – Mitsubishi EVO IX did not miss their chances today on the final leg of Rally Turkey, defending P1 in the PWRC in dominant fashion and claiming a third consecutive win for the Red Bull Rallye Team.
Thanks to this victory, the Austrian also extends his championship lead, increasing his advantage over Patrik Sandell, who finished second behind Aigner in Turkey, and – on equal points – Finland’s Jari Ketomaa, who did not compete this weekend, to 16 points.
Hence Aigner is just the second driver in the history of the PWRC who manages to win three rallies in a row. The first one was Japan’s Toshi Arai, who achieved this feat in 2003.
Andreas Aigner: "Sure, three wins in a row are an incredible feeling because it doesn’t happen too often. But for me it’s the championship that continues to remain of paramount importance. We’re now enjoying a sound lead, but you mustn’t forget that I have done one more rally than my strongest competitior Ketomaa and even to more than Hänninen. But these two have now been put on the spot, they have yet to score. And this has exactly been my goal here – to put pressure on my competitors with a top result."
Rejoining today were Bernardo Sousa/Jorge Cavalho (POR) – Mitsubishi EVO IX, who set very fast times on all three remaining stages, eventually finishing eleventh in PWRC.
Team boss Raimund Baumschlager: "Simply tremendous! Andreas again did not lose his cool today, coping well with the final stages. I’m really very proud – of him and of the entire team. Our strategy worked out perfectly. As far as Bernardo is concerned, it definitively was the right decision to have him rejoin today. He was back in full stride immediately and able to prove that he again has a clear head with solid stage times."
Daily Log for Aigner/Wicha: PWRC/overall
SS 17: Olympos 1 31.03 km P 09/22
SS 18: Camyuva 1 05.50 km P 08/21
SS 19: Olympos 2 31.03 km P 07/18
Daily Log for Sousa/Cavalho: PWRC/overall
SS 17: Olympos 1 31.03 km P 05/18
SS 18: Camyuva 1 05.50 km P 06/19
SS 19: Olympos 2 31.03 km P 04/18
Final PWRC results, Turkey, after SS 19:
1. Aigner/Wicha (AUT/GER) Mitsubishi EVO IX 5:02:21.6 hours
2. Sandell/Axelsson (SWE) Peugeot S2000 + 48.7 seconds
3. Baldacci/Agnese (ITA) Mitsubishi EVO IX + 3:01.0 minutes
. . . . .
11. Sousa/Cavalho (POR) Mitsubishi EVO IX + 38:29.1 minutes
- Thomas Blazek, Christian Kuda - also photo
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