Peugeot driver Nicolas Vouilloz (pictured) has won the Barum Rally Zlin from his team mate Enrique Garcia Ojeda after an action-packed final day. Privateer Abarth driver Freddy Loix started the final day in the lead, but he retired on SS12 – the longest of the rally at 27 kilometres – after sustaining a puncture and going off the road.

This would have let Ojeda through into the top spot, but the Spaniard broke a driveshaft on the same demanding stage and dropped to second behind his team mate. Although he found the bumpy and dirty asphalt stages quite difficult to get used to, Vouilloz steered clear of major problems to take his second IRC victory of the year.

 Ojeda’s runner-up spot means that he now takes over the lead of the IRC drivers’ classification, while Peugeot now heads the manufacturers’ standings.
Vouilloz said: “This win is something of a surprise for me, particularly after the first day when I did not feel so confident over the bumps. But then I began to feel more at ease with the car in these conditions, and once I was towards the top of the leaderboard I kept pushing at a good enough pace to make sure that I did not repeat the mistake I made in Ypres. For me, this rally was all about finding the right compromise between speed and safety, and the reward is a fantastic result not just for me and my co-driver but for the whole Peugeot team.”