Day 1: Andreas Mikkelsen (VW) leads the 50 RallyRACC and the urban show in Barcelona

23/10/2014

After a great day when motorsport enjoyed the support of a huge crowd, with nearly 20,000 spectators, enhanced by the colours, the promotion and the international coverage, the 50 RallyRACC-Catalunya COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España 2014 is already under way with the Andreas Mikkelsen-Ola Floene (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) as leaders after setting the fastest time - 3:39.1 at the city stage designed by the RACC at the Montjuic Mountain.

This urban stage had the start and arrival at the Avenida Reina Mª Cristina and was traced around the Barcelona Fair facilities: Mies Van der Rohe Pavillion, Plaça de Carles Buïgas (beside the Font Màgica), Palau Victòria Eugènia, Plaça Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Plaça de les Cascades, Palau Alfons XIII and Avda. Rius i Taulet. Live Television, media from all around the world and thousands of spectators contributed to make this first experience to try and get the World rally Championship closer to the Catalan Capital a success.

The show offered by the 65 cars that took the start this morning in Salou was extraordinary, an endless passing of cars that returned the motorsport magic to a mountain that was historically famous in this sport. The Barcelona stage in one of the two urban stages that will be held this 50 RallyRACC, the other one will be in Salou next Saturday 25.

Mikkelsens success is important for the show, but not decisive for the result of the rally: just 3.20 timed kilometres against the total 373 of the rally. The round will have tomorrow its first real competitive stage and on gravel, although with some tarmac areas in one of the stages. There will be three stages to be run twice, with a total of 138.54 km and 385.54 more, with start and Finish in PortAventura.

Final classification of the Barcelona stage and provisional standings of the 50 RallyRACC

1- Andreas Mikkelsen-Ola Floene (Volkswagen Polo R WRC), 3:39.1

2-Sébastien Ogier-Julien Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC), +1.8

3-Thierry Neuville-Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 WRC), +2.9

4-Jari-Matti Latvala-Miikka Anttila (Volkswagen Polo R WRC), +3.1

5-Dani Sordo-Marc Martí (Hyundai i20 WRC), +3.6

6-Kris Meeke-Paul Nagle (Citroën DS3 WRC), +4.0

7-Mads Ostberg-Jonas Andersson (Citroën DS3 WRC), +4.6

8-Mikko Hirvonen-Jarmo Lehtinen (Ford Fiesta RS WRC), +5.9

9-Martin Prokop-Jan Tomanek (Ford Fiesta RS WRC), +7.2

10-Hayden Paddon-John Kennard (Hyundai i20 WRC), +8.4