Summary Andreas Mikkelsen claimed the early lead of the Rally of Turkey on Thursday.
MARMARIS (AFP) - Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen claimed the early lead of the Rally of Turkey on Thursday as championship leader Thierry Neuville made a solid start to sit in fourth place.
Mikkelsen, who is only fifth in the overall standings after a difficult season in his Hyundai, leads Ireland s Craig Breen by 2.5 seconds after the opening speed test in Marmaris, with in-form Ott Tanak 0.3sec further adrift.
"I m really looking forward to this rally. Hopefully our luck has changed now and we can have a good event. That would be nice," Mikkelsen told wrc.com.
Belgian Neuville, who leads five-time defending world champion Sebastien Ogier by 23 points in the title race with four rallies remaining, was 3.1sec slower than Mikkelsen heading into Friday s six stages.
It was a disastrous start for Frenchman Ogier, though, as he made a bad mistake on a jump and finished down in 12th place.
The World Rally Championship has returned to Turkey this week after an eight-year absence.
