Trouble for Tsouloftas on ERC Cyprus Rally
ByERC
Updated 18/06/2017 at 10:00 GMT
Hopes of a maiden FIA European Rally Championship podium for Alexandros Tsouloftas are over after the Cypriot youngster picked up a double puncture on stage 10.
Image credit: ERC
Tsouloftas was in a strong second place on the Cyprus Rally when disaster struck on the 23.43-kilometre Cytanet Avdelero run this morning. He lost more than 10 minutes and has slipped outside the top 10 in the overall standings.
“There was a big rock in the road, we got two punctures, the stage should be cancelled,” said an angry Tsouloftas at the stage finish. “It was a sharp stone in the line, I couldn’t avoid it, it could have cost us our lives.”
His misfortune promotes Simos Galatariotis into second with Panikos Polykarpou into third, Christos Demosthenous fourth and Albert von Thurn und Taxis fifth.
Kajetan Kajetanowicz, who restarted on the second day following his stage six crash, has gone fastest on the opening two stages this morning. But while the LOTOS Rally Team driver has returned to form, it’s been a tough start to the day for Nikolay Gryazin, back in action after retiring on Saturday.
“On the Tarmac part we lost the engine,” said the Sports Racing Technologies driver. “We start again but after the slow left corner we lost the brakes, we had no brake pedal. We try to make some repairs now.”
Following the 30-minute service halt in Nicosia, stage 11, the repeat of Psaltis Eneos Yeri begins at 12h16 local time.
“There was a big rock in the road, we got two punctures, the stage should be cancelled,” said an angry Tsouloftas at the stage finish. “It was a sharp stone in the line, I couldn’t avoid it, it could have cost us our lives.”
His misfortune promotes Simos Galatariotis into second with Panikos Polykarpou into third, Christos Demosthenous fourth and Albert von Thurn und Taxis fifth.
Kajetan Kajetanowicz, who restarted on the second day following his stage six crash, has gone fastest on the opening two stages this morning. But while the LOTOS Rally Team driver has returned to form, it’s been a tough start to the day for Nikolay Gryazin, back in action after retiring on Saturday.
“On the Tarmac part we lost the engine,” said the Sports Racing Technologies driver. “We start again but after the slow left corner we lost the brakes, we had no brake pedal. We try to make some repairs now.”
Following the 30-minute service halt in Nicosia, stage 11, the repeat of Psaltis Eneos Yeri begins at 12h16 local time.
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