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1 Hanninen - Skoda - 1hr 45m 15.2s
2 Kopecky - Skoda - +1m 20.9s
3 Basso - Abarth - +4m 6.0s
4 Wilks - Proton - +6m 33.0s
5 Alen - Abarth - +7m 30.8s
6 Wittmann - Ralliart - +9m 7.1s
7 Zimin - Ralliart - +15m 53.9s
8 Koitla - Honda - +20m 4.92

Rally Russia in Review
With three days and 13 stages behind them, the Skoda men can reflect on a dominant performance in which Hanninen was only beaten to one fastest stage time through the course of the entire event.
"Of course, it's great for my second time here in Vyborg and my second Rally Russia victory," Hanninen said. "Of course, my goal was winning over here, but we all know how difficult this rally was. I did all I can to avoid the rocks. Luck also helped a bit I think. But anyway, the most important thing is that I didn't have any punctures. And it's a 1-2 for Skoda, so a great result!"
For Kopecky, the title fight has now become a reality, slotting in between Peugeot's top drivers Kris Meeke and Freddy Loix at the top of the points table after another measured and mature gravel performance. "Last year, I lost second place after a puncture. So this year I told myself not to push 100%, because the risk is so high," he said.
"On a few stages I tried to push a little bit more and the times were not so bad. But Juho was very fast, like last year, and there was no way to catch him. This is the perfect weekend for us and now we can work towards repeating it on home ground in the Czech Republic next month."
Giandomenico Basso eventually prevailed to claim third place after a rally-long battle with his Abarth team mate Anton Alen and the flying Proton of Guy Wilks. "It's always great to grab some points after such a difficult rally," the Italian said.
"Yesterday, we had a water leak and that made us worry about the engine. The balance of the car was not good and we couldn't fix that. Plus I had trouble with punctures and so we need to analyse the data, see what was missing, and use these points to boost our season."
Wilks meanwhile recovered from dropping back from third to seventh on Day 2 and ended the rally in fourth place, despite picking up another puncture on SS13. Next man up was Franz Wittmann, celebrating his best-ever finish in the IRC with Ralliart after a time penalty for Anton Alen was made following the final stage.
For the local men there were slim pickings to be found on the 2009 Rally Russia. Reigning Russian champion Alesandr Zheludov retired his Peugeot 207, which had run as high as fifth. The attrition rate gave Franz Wittmann a chance to shine, taking his best-ever IRC finish for Ralliart ahead of the similar Evo IX of Boris Zimin. Meanwhile Kaspar Koitla from Estonia not only gave Honda its second successive 2WD victory but also claimed a point for eighth overall.
The next event in Madeira will see the works Skodas sit out the IRC's second Atlantic trip of the season as they focus on repeating their dominance at home on the Barum Rally Zlin in six weeks time

How They Stand

1. Kris Meeke (GB) 30 pt.
2. Jan Kopecky (CZ) 29 pt.
3. Freddy Loix (B) 24 pt.
4. Giandomenico Basso (I) 17 pt.
5. Nicolas Vouilloz (F) 14 pt.

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Rally Russia - The Story So Far
With one day remaining the 2009 Rally Russia has so far been an extraordinary success for one man - Skoda Motorsport´s Finnish star, Juho Hanninen. While he races serenely on through the forests around the Baltic city of Vyborg, the rest of the field have been providing drama, incident and action aplenty.
Before the start of Rally Russia, Juho Hanninen was clearly looking forward to returning to a gravel-based event and one so close to his homeland. The reason why he was looking forward to settting out from Vyborg last night has now become clear to see, as his Fabia S2000 has slithered through the waterlogged stages with aplomb, and has yet to be challenged for victory on any of the stages of this gruelling event.
"We didn't start the last stage because of safety issue, because people are on the road," said Hanninen. "Apart from that, the day was nice. No problems with the car, no mistakes. A few times it was a bit close to the rocks, but we got through without any punctures. It was quite a long day, I don't need to push any more, so I'm focusing on keeping my tyres away from troubles."
To be just under a minute in arrears of Hanninen is testament to the skill of his team-mate, asphalt star Jan Kopecky. The Czech driver showed his loose surface skills with aplomb in the Azores, but this weekend wrested second place away from the fast-starting Giandomenico Basso on merit and has managed to keep his Fabia out of trouble when many of the other contenders have not.
For Abarth, Russia has shown another step forward in pace but both Basso and his young team-mate Anton Alen have had their share of problems. Basso caught two punctures - one on the first night and one on Day 2 - which have blunted the challenge that his prodigious pace should have given to the Skoda pair. Alen, meanwhile, could not capitalize when he was promoted to third place and tore a wheel off his Grande Punto - meaning he must restart tomorrow under Superally regulations.
"It was a big route for Day 2 but at the end of it I'm now back in third," said Basso. "Tomorrow will be long and difficult day but I hope to do it good! I made a mistake during SS9, five km from the finish – and we punctured another wheel, but we're still in the fight."
Local hero and Russian national champion Aleksandr Zheludov has also shown enormous pace in his Peugeot 207 S2000, but repeatedly been caught with a misfire that has limited him to running on three cylinders. He is now in a titanic battle with Britain's Guy Wilks in the extremely impressive new Proton Satria Neo S2000 for fourth place, with Wilks on a charge after dropping back from third place after a puncture and malfunctioning car jack cost him valuable time.
"I will not try to fight with the Wilks, my goal is national championship," said Zheludov. "It is a pity that the cancellation of SS10 makes it more difficult to achieve our goal, but I am pleased with the car. We've had a few problems but kept ourselves in the leading group, so that's good."
Franz Wittmann has doggedly pressed on in what is undoubtedly his best performance of the season so far, going into the final day in sixth place. The Ralliart driver from Austria was confident prior to the start of the rally, and has fulfilled that promise with style despite having a rock-beaten and weary rear differential to contend with.
"It was a hard day for me - we have some punctures and some problems with hitting big stones," he said. "We finished, we're here, the car is in one piece – I guess I'm happy with that. But I think tomorrow we will have an almost new car and will finish this rally, hopefully!"
The hotly-contested battle between Wittmann and a host of Ralliart Evo IXs from the Russian national series has been joined by a spirited drive from 2WD Cup leader Kaspar Koilta, the Estonian putting in a thrilling performance throughout the event for Honda. However on the road section after the final stage of Day 2 the Civic's suspension collapsed after the beating it had taken on the rough Russian stages and he is forced to restart under Superally regulations.
This puts Boris Zimin back up into seventh in his Evo IX. Zimin holds a strong advantage over the ranks of his countrymen in similar Ralliart machines. "Yesterday was more difficult, because on SS1 we had a problem with the gearbox," he said. "Now it is not disturbing us, but there is some question about how the suspension will hold up. Now we are not pushing hard because the gaps are quite big, so tomorrow we will try to keep the position."
Koilta's misfortune has handed the 2WD lead to the Peugeot of Russian driver Dmitriy Voronov. "Since the start of the rally I decided to play it safe and go carefully through the stages, once it was clear to see how much effect the heavy rains had on the stages," Voronov said. "It was worrying to see Kaspar going further and further ahead, but now I have the lead and have had no punctures or broken wheels, unlike a lot of people!"  

Rally Russia - Full Preview
The Intercontinental Rally Challenge takes its third trip to Russia from July 9-11 for round six of the series, the Rally Russia.
Following the complex and narrow asphalt roads of Ypres, Russia provides a complete contrast with its wide and flowing gravel stages, which some drivers have compared to the classic speed tests of Finland. This comes as no surprise given that the rally is based in Vyborg, which is less than 100 kilometres from the Finnish border.
The stages in Russia are mostly made up of compacted gravel roads, which can be as smooth as a motorway in the right conditions. However, the surface can cut up after several cars have been through, exposing sharp rocks that are capable of causing punctures.
These are often in evidence through the corners, where the competitors try to save time by cutting the ideal line in order to find the quickest trajectory. Whereas Finland is well known for its rollercoaster crests, the roads in Russia tend to be flatter but no less spectacular. The weather in Russia at this time of year is usually warm, but sudden rainstorms are far from unknown – and these can turn the rally on its head in an instant.
This unique mix of stages and weather, coupled with the risk of punctures, makes tyre choice even more complex than usual. But it is an event that tends to favour the usual gravel specialists: in particular the Finns, who are virtually playing at home. For the past two years, the winner of the Rally Russia has been from Finland.
Since joining the IRC two years ago, the Rally Russia has gradually expanded, and this year it is up to 15 stages and 223.45 competitive kilometres. The start of the event takes place in the evening of Thursday 9 July from the podium in Vyborg, with an opening leg of four stages that ends late at night. For the first time night stages are set to be a feature of Rally Russia, adding yet another challenging element to what is already an extremely technical event.
The action restarts in the morning of Friday 10 July, with six stages divided into two identical loops of three. Amongst them is the longest stage of the rally: the legendary 29.31-kilometre Topolki test, reckoned to be the most challenging of the entire event. The rally concludes with five stages on the final day before the finish back in Vyborg at 15:00.
Rally Russia is a valuable example of the IRC breaking new ground in emerging markets, with the inaugural 2007 event having been the first major international motorsport fixture behind the former iron curtain since the 1917 St Petersburg Grand Prix.
The entry list for the Rally Russia contains both the latest new manufacturers to join the series. The factory Skoda team, headed by last year’s Rally Russia winner Juho Hanninen, is first off the ramp in Vyborg – north of St Petersburg – on Thursday night. Also on the entry list is the new Proton Satria S2000, driven by Guy Wilks, which made a promising debut on the Belgium Ypres Rally last month. Like Hanninen, Wilks has previous experience of the Rally Russia after leading the IRC 2WD class in Vyborg last year, at the wheel of a Honda.
Following a productive test, Abarth is set to be a serious threat in Russia. The inaugural Rally Russia was won by Finland’s Anton Alen – the son of the legendary Anton Alen – and the Abarth driver was once more in strong contention for victory last year before his charge was halted by a double puncture.
The second driver off the start ramp, following Hanninen, is Alen’s team mate Giandomenico Basso. The Italian, a former European Champion, has also proved himself to be a strong force on gravel rallies such as Russia. With the Abarth team benefiting greatly from its test in Italy, the mood is upbeat.
Significantly, the European Peugeot teams have chosen not to contest Rally Russia as under the IRC regulations only seven from eight scores count. With Meeke on 30 points and Skoda’s Jan Kopecky on 21 points, a top result for the popular Czech driver could deprive Meeke of the lead. However Peugeot will be represented by Russian driver Aleksandr Zheludov, who takes the wheel of a 207 S2000 for the first time.
Also out in Russia will be several other strong local drivers, such as Andrei Zhighunov in a Mitsubishi. With several Mitsubishi entries, the official Ralliart brand stands to benefit greatly in the IRC manufacturers’ standings. Another driver contesting the event in a Mitsubishi is the Austrian Franz Wittmann, who has put together a comprehensive IRC programme this year.
The battle for IRC 2WD Cup honours will be equally close. Three IRC registered manufacturers will be represented: Honda (the last 2WD winners in Ypres), Peugeot and Volkswagen. None of the IRC 2WD Cup leaders are planning to contest the event, so this is a vital opportunity for their rivals to try and close the gap.

Rally Russia: Final preparations
There is final countdown for Rally Russia 2009. All the services are completing their arrangement, and the main focus at the moment lay on works with gravel roads, which are due to host special stages.
According to organization committee, the coordination is now established between different event staff. The places set for rally marshals, security guards, medical and fire brigades.
The most important thing during this stage of preparation is work on roads. Last year it was a point of fair dissatisfactions for a row of participants because of too many bumps. A lot of resources are involved to make special stages smoother and not so “killing” for cars.
Ten days before Rally Russia start SS Kutuzovo is completely ready, while works on Yashino and Topol’ki are in active phase. On Monday heavy machinery begin their duty on Perevoznoe and Borovinka.
All the works are carrying on in accordance with initial plan. It takes about a week to finally prepare all stages. All the road operations will be completely finished no later than July 3rd.

Wilks confident of Proton progress
British star Guy Wilks, who will contest his second IRC event this weekend at the wheel of the new Proton Satria S2000, is confident that the car will continue to improve following a promising debut in Belgium last month
Wilks was unable to deliver on the potential of the new car after going off the road on the opening leg of the Belgium Ypres Rally, but the Englishman is confident that this weekend’s Rally Russia will mark another important step in the new car’s development curve.
“The car is still very new, so we’re improving and learning more with every kilometre we drive,” said Wilks, who was a former star of the Junior World Rally Championship. “Russia will be a really good experience for us, and a valuable chance to develop the Proton some more on gravel. We already found a few ideas that could help us in Belgium, and we’re looking forward to the chance of putting them into practice in Russia.”
Wilks will undoubtedly benefit from his previous experience in Russia this weekend. The Englishman led the IRC 2WD category with a Honda Civic Type R R3 on the Rally Russia last year, before being forced out with a mechanical problem.
“I really enjoyed the Rally Russia last year and I’m looking forward to tackling it again,” he said. “There are some quite quick stages, which I always enjoy, and some very tricky places as well. However, driving the event with the Proton will be quite a different type of challenge as our job is also to accumulate as much information as possible.”
The Rally Russia gets underway on Thursday afternoon and concludes on Saturday afternoon

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