Russian driver Alexey Lukyanuk started his 2016 FIA European Rally Championship off in the best possible way by snatching maximum points on the first round, Rally Islas Canarias.
The Ford Fiesta R5 driver beat rival and reigning series champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz by 32.7 seconds to secure his second consecutive ERC win after he won last year’s final round in Switzerland.
Lukyanuk started leg two with a 22.7-second deficit to Kajetanowicz but profited when the LOTOS Rally Team driver suffered excessive tyre wear during the morning loop as the result of high tyre pressures. The Russian had a lead of over half a minute at the mid day halt and was able to resist a fightback from Kajetanowicz over the final three stages.
“It’s incredible to be honest,” said Lukyanuk, “The competition was so hard. We did a lot of mistakes yesterday but this helped us today. It is super and I am really proud for my team and my sponsors. The competition is very high.”
Local driver Luis Monzon took the final podium finish almost two minutes off the lead. Wojciech Chuhcala won the ERC2 category in his Subaru Impreza STi N15 while Lukasz Habaj took the honours in ERC3 in his Peugeot 208 R2.
