ERC Junior U28 star Gryazin wins Qualifying Stage

Sports Racing Technologies driver Gryazin usurped Azores winner Alexey Lukyanuk for fastest time aboard his ŠKODA Fabia R5, setting a 2m02.1s to go 0.26s faster than Lukyanuk.

“Quite good, but I think the guys from the local championship will be faster,” said Gryazin afterwards.

Though he couldn’t overhaul Gryazin, fellow ERC Junior U28 contender José Suárez came closest to doing exactly that as third quickest overall. First of Hyundai Motor España’s three drivers, Suárez qualified 1.3s off Lukyanuk’s pace with a 2m03.6s.

ŠKODA AUTO Deutschland’s Fabian Kreim made it three Junior U28s in the overall top four, a 2m03.9s enough to edge out second-best local specialist Iván Ares in his Hyundai Motor España i20 R5.

Albert von Thurn und Taxis led a group of drivers in the 2m05s bracket, taking his BRR Baumschlager Rallye & Racing Team-prepared ŠKODA Fabia R5 to sixth quickest time, ahead of ERC debutant Eyvind Brynildsen. Bruno Magalhães, Junior U28 frontrunner Pierre-Louis Loubet and Hermann Neubauer completed the overall top ten.

Chris Ingram was fifth quickest in Junior U28, but complained of a headache and high temperature that was affecting his performance behind the wheel.

Rally Team Spain’s Efrén Llarena was fastest of the ERC Junior Under 27 competitors, edging out Simon Wagner by 0.3 seconds. Azores Junior U27 winner Diogo Gago went third quickest, ahead of Roberto Blach and Mārtiņš Sesks.

Minor drama befell a handful of senior ERC drivers. Norbert Herczig nursed his car to the Qualifying Stage finish with an engine issue, while Dávid Botka hit an armco barrier during his qualifying run, sustaining minor damage to his ŠKODA Fabia R5.