– Al-Rajhi’s overall lead reduced to 2min 12sec; Alphand second quickest in MINI Buggy
– Chernenkov loses T2 lead to Ivanov; Navarro heads T3 rival Pena Campo by 33min 10sec
The fastest time on the penultimate 298.04km special stage by FIA World Cup leader Jakub Przygonski has set up the prospect of a nail-biting finale to Rally Kazakhstan.
The Pole and Belgian navigator Tom Colsoul guided their X-raid MINI John Cooper Works Rally to a time of 2hrs 48min 19sec on the short timed section to the north of Aktau City on Friday but, more importantly, they beat
team-mate Yazeed Al-Rajhi by 6min 26sec. They now trail the Saudi Arabian driver – who suffered navigational issues from opening the stage – by just 2min 12sec heading into a MINI showdown by the Caspian Sea on Saturday.
Przygonski said: “It was a good stage for us because the plan was to win and go as fast as possible. We made good lines, great navigation from Tom and a good rhythm. We are really happy.