Grande Punto Abarth factory driver Anton Alen won the Rally Russia this afternoon, round four of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, taking eight fastest times out of a total of 10 stages, as he dominated from start to finish. The 24 year-old Finn enjoyed a reliable and trouble-free run to the finish, having led from SS2, with an eventual winning margin of more than two minutes.

Alen took a one-and-a-half minute lead into today's final leg after controlling yesterday's opening day proceedings. The Russia Rally was set to finish with four special stages today, split into two loops of two, with a refuelling stop, but no service halt in between. The action would start at 1104, and the final podium was set to be taken at 1430. There would be 47 competitive kilometres, making a total competitive distance of 151.96 competitive kilometres over the course of the rally. However the planned four stages soon became three as the scheduled tenth stage of the rally, the 11.60 kilometres of Drujnosele, was cancelled by the organisers as the average speed when the stage was run yesterday exceeded the recommended maximum of 130 km/h. The stage was due to be run again at 12:30 (local time) this afternoon. Instead, competitors would proceed directly from SS9 to SS11 after having completed the first stage of the day, SS8. Rally leader this morning, Alen, commented: "It is a real shame that the stage was cancelled as I was looking forward to it - but if it is for safety then I suppose we just have to accept that."

Alen though was simply untouchable today, just like yesterday, and by lunchtime, and with just one stage remaining he was just 8.65 competitive kilometres away from his first IRC victory. The young Finn was once again the quickest driver through SS9, allowing him to stretch his lead to over two minutes. With SS10 cancelled, competitors headed for the refuel followed by the final stage, Dubinino. But although Alen's dream was by now very close to becoming a reality, the Finn's famous father Markku was not making any predictions. "Many things can still happen on the final stage," said Markku Alen - the winner of 20 world rallies - from the Abarth service tent in Vyborg. "I have been around long enough to know that nothing is ever over until it is over. I do not think that Anton needs my advice, but he just needs to drive sensibly through the final stage without taking any risks. It is important not to drive too slowly though, as then you can lose concentration and make a mistake."
 

In fourth place was Andrea Navarra which would be enough for him to maintain his lead of the overall drivers' standings. The Italian had been in the thick of a close battle with Mitsubishi driver Marco Cavigioli, but Cavigioli appeared to have had a problem on the stage that cost over a minute - taking the pressure off Navarra.

The last stage was duly completed without any dramas for the leading crews and Alen raced to an historic IRC victory. In second and third places were the Peugeots of Enrique Ojeda and Nicolas Vouilloz – who both lost time with punctures at the end of the opening day – while Andrea Navarra was fourth to ensure that he maintains the overall lead of the drivers’ standings. Abarth and Peugeot are now tied in the lead of the manufacturers’ standings.

Local driver Andrei Zhighunov claimed fifth place, just ahead of the similar Mitsubishi of Italian Marco Cavigioli – who started the day less than a second behind Navarra. In seventh was the Russian Mitsubishi driver Boris Fedotov, while the Hungarian Gergely Szabo took the final point for eighth in another Lancer Evolution. Citroen C2-R2 driver Simon Jean-Joseph just missed out on points in ninth place, while the Honda Civic Type R of Dani Sola – which had climbed as high as sixth place – was forced into retirement on the road section on the way to the final stage, after hitting a large hole in the road.

“Today was a very difficult day, as although we had a good lead we needed to stay really concentrated," said a delighted Alen. "The car has been fantastic all weekend, but this rally has been a real challenge because all the roads are so different. After the Peugeots that were behind me on Friday lost time with punctures, I was able to relax a little bit but the level of competition was always high. This is my first overall win, and I hope that it gives me even more confidence for the future. Your first win is always a special moment: I would like to thank the whole team.”