The Barum Rally Zlín got underway with a ceremonial start in the town of Zlín last night, followed by a specially-constructed superspecial stage in the town centre. IRC series leader Andrea Navarra led the crews off the start ramp, flagged away by the mayor of Zlín.

However for the factory Abarth outfit the drama began to fold almost immediately as Navarra's team mate Anton Alén  made a dramatic start to only his second-ever asphalt rally, when he went off on the very first corner of the spectator-lined superspecial. The incident cost him 21 seconds and he will now start the first full day down in 18th place. Anton's famous father, Markku Alén, commented: "I think Anton was just caught out by being on cold tyres. The car is not badly damaged, so everything should be fine for the rest of the rally. There's a very long way to go." The Abarth mechanics will check thoroughly for any suspension damage at the 20-minute service halt before the first stage this morning, which starts at 08:58, but luckily the problem seems reasonably straightforward to fix.

Peugeot 207 S2000 driver Nicolas Vouilloz leads the overall classification of the Barum Rally Zlín after SS1 by just 0.6 seconds from the Abarth Grande Punto of former Belgian World Rally Championship driver Freddy Loix. In third place is the former Barum Rally Zlín winner, Renato Travaglia, the highly experienced Italian making his Super2000 debut on this event in another Abarth Grande Punto.

With the spectator-orientated superspecial now out of the way, the real rally action in the Czech Republic starts this morning as the crews get to grips with some demanding asphalt stages. “These are far from being normal asphalt stages though, and I don’t think my asphalt experience from the past is really going to help,” said Navarra, who will start first on the road today by virtue of his series lead. “I don’t reckon it will be ideal to be starting first, as I expect that I will be sweeping away a lot of loose gravel. It’s the sort of rally where the local drivers could have a big advantage.” Navarra was fourth quickest on the superspecial, 1.9 seconds off Vouilloz's stage-winning time.
 

More importantly though Navarra was one place and 3.5 seconds ahead of his closest rival for the IRC title, Enrique Garcia Ojeda in the other factory-supported Peugeot 207.

With conditions so treacherous, most drivers are opting for a cautious approach. Vouilloz said that he would be delighted with a podium finish but that anywhere in the top five would be a good result. Local hero Roman Kresta, the winner of last year’s Barum Rally in his Mitsubishi Lancer, has played down his chances of a repeat victory. “I think it will be even tougher than it was last year,” said Kresta. “Of course I will be trying my hardest to win, but the opposition is sure to be extremely strong.”

Alén, who will start today well outside the top ten, was also setting low goals for the event: "I will drive on asphalt surface for the second time in my career," said the Finnish youngster, "so it will be a very difficult competition for me. My goal is to stay on the asphalt surface as long as possible to gain enough experience for the future." Travaglia, who is making his Super2000 debut at the wheel of a Grande Punto Abarth was just 0.8 seconds off the fastest time on SS1. "I familiarised myself with the vehicle only during the reconnaissance and shakedown," said the former European Rally Champion. "This might be my handicap, but I can profit from knowing the track because many stages are similar to those from 2005. I will not start at maximum, but I prefer to speed up gradually."

"The track here is very different from the Turkish tracks," said Volkan Isik in the #12 Fiat Motorsports Turkey-run Grande Punto Abarth. "The conditions are changing constantly, every turn can bring a surprise. This will be a very difficult competition. I will be satisfied if we gain some points," he added. Isik finished sixth on SS1, 9.3 second of Vouilloz's fastest time.