The 2015 FIA European Rally Championship has thrown up one final twist on the Rallye Internationale du Valais as Craig Breen was handed a time penalty for a mistake that was made by Peugeot Rally Academy team which saw Breen use 20 marked Michelin tyres instead of the allocated 18 on his 208 T16. The Irish driver was given a two-minute penalty which resulted in Breen dropping to second in the overall results and missing out on his fourth win of the series.
Speaking on social media the Irishman was understandably devastated “Don’t know what to say… We won the rally but unfortunately a small mistake by the team today gave us a 2 minute penalty after the rally and we lost our victory.. Just can’t believe how bad our luck has been, this has to change soon!”
Russian driver Alexey Lukyanuk inherited the victory making it two wins this season for the Ford Fiesta R5 driver. Lukyanuk impressed this weekend on tarmac and won the last five stages. If it wasn’t for budget issues forcing him to miss the Ypres Rally and the Azores the Russian driver may have been in contention for the title.
Breen will now turn his attention to the final round of the World Rally Championship 2 on Wales Rally GB in ten days time.
