The 2011 Cyprus Rally, officially the 39th FxPro Cyprus Rally, was the eleventh and final round of the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) season. The eleven stage gravel rally took place over 3–5 November 2011.
The rally offered double points towards the respective IRC championships, meaning that the overall rally winner, as well as class winners, gained 50 points instead of the usual 25. With victory, Andreas Mikkelsen became the youngest IRC champion, winning the title by 1.5 points ahead of Jan Kopecký.
Introduction The rally, which was run for the 39th time, was based in Paphos – moving from its 2010 base of Limassol – with a super special stage making up Thursday's running. On Friday, four stages covering were run, with the final six stages, consisting of being completed on the Saturday.
With double points on offer for the rally, six drivers remained in championship contention after the previous event at Rally Scotland. Jan Kopecký held the championship lead with 131 points, ahead of Škoda Motorsport team-mate and defending champion Juho Hänninen, who was six points in arrears. Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg's Thierry Neuville, the highest placed Peugeot driver, held third place with 115 points, ahead of Škoda UK's Andreas Mikkelsen on 111.5, Bryan Bouffier of Peugeot France on 110.5 and Freddy Loix, representing the BFO-Škoda Rally Team, on 103. The championship battle was later reduced to five drivers, as Bouffier did not travel to Cyprus.
Results
Overall Pos. Driver Co-driver Car Time Difference Points 1. Andreas Mikkelsen Ola Fløene Škoda Fabia S2000 2:25:18.5 0.0 50 2. Jan Kopecký Pavel Dresler Škoda Fabia S2000 2:26:59.0 1:40.5 36 3. Patrik Sandell Staffan Parmander Škoda Fabia S2000 2:28:13.3 2:54.8 30 4. Karl Kruuda Martin Järveoja Škoda Fabia S2000 2:29:51.5 4:33.0 24 5. Freddy Loix Frédéric Miclotte Škoda Fabia S2000 2:30:53.9 5:35.4 20 6. Matthias Kahle Peter Göbel Škoda Fabia S2000 2:33:07.4 7:48.9 16 7. Toshi Arai Dale Moscatt Subaru Impreza R4 2:33:34.7 8:16.2 12 8. Mark Wallenwein Stefan Kopczyk Škoda Fabia S2000 2:38:25.2 13:06.7 8 9. (10.) Doros Loucaides Savvas Laos Peugeot 207 S2000 2:40:26.3 15:07.8 4 10. (11.) Charalambos Timotheou Pambos Laos Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 2:40:44.2 15:25.7 2
Special stages DayStageTimeNameLengthWinnerTimeAvg. spd.Rally leaderLeg 1(3–4 November) SS1 19:00 LTV Super Special Stage 3.20 km Andreas Mikkelsen 2:48.9 68.21 km/h Andreas Mikkelsen SS2 10:47 Koilinia 1 24.15 km Andreas Mikkelsen 20:23.8 71.04 km/h SS3 12:10 Salamiou 1 18.16 km Thierry Neuville 11:51.4 91.90 km/h Thierry Neuville SS4 14:47 Koilinia 2 24.15 km Andreas Mikkelsen 20:05.6 72.11 km/h Andreas Mikkelsen SS5 16:10 Salamiou 2 18.16 km Andreas Mikkelsen 11:51.2 91.92 km/hLeg 2(5 November) SS6 9:29 Gialia 1 14.82 km Andreas Mikkelsen 13:03.9 68.06 km/h SS7 10:12 Stavros 1 15.91 km Andreas Mikkelsen 11:25.7 83.53 km/h SS8 11:10 Anadiou 1 19.15 km Nasser Al-Attiyah 14:19.9 80.17 km/h SS9 14:29 Gialia 2 14.82 km Juho Hänninen 12:48.3 69.44 km/h SS10 15:12 Stavros 2 15.91 km Patrik Sandell 11:40.6 81.75 km/h SS11 16:10 Anadiou 2 19.15 km Andreas Mikkelsen 14:23.5 79.84 km/h
References
External links The official website for the rally The official website of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge