Alexey Lukyanuk was dominant in the Cyprus Rally 2016, clinching overall victory and the European Rally Championship runner up spot, in the ERC season finale.

According to the organisers, on board a Ford Fiesta R5, Lukyanuk rightly opted for No1 starting position in Friday’s qualifying stage and never looked back. He won 11 out of 13 special stages loosing only two to his rival for the second place of ERC standings, Latvia’s Ralfs Simarcis (Skoda Fabia R5) who finished third overall.

Germany’s Marijan Griebel, ERC Junior Champion finished a surprising second overall in his first Ford Fiesta R5 drive. ERC regular David Botka on board a Citroen DS3 finished fourth overall.

Christos Demosthenous finished fifth overall and first among Cypriot crews reviving his hopes for the national rally championship title.

Following the retirements of Latvia’s Nikolay Gryazin yesterday and Greece’s Lambros Athanassoulas, the rally’s top ten was dominated by Cypriot crews and an army of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions.

«Chips Junior» on board an Evo 9 finished sixth overall in his Cyprus Rally debut as a driver, followed by Costas Zenonos also with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. Savvas Savva, again in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 finished eighth followed by Michalis Posidias and Stavros Antoniou in ninth and ten place overall respectively.

Twice Turkish Rally Champion, Murat Bostanci of Castrol Ford Team Turkiye, driving a three-cylinder Ford Fiesta claimed the ERC3 victory followed by his team mate Bugra Banaz.

Lukyanuk also recorded the fastest time on the Love Cyprus Golden Stage, therefore winning €25,000 pledged by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation in addition to the €7,000 he will receive from Eurosport Events for winning the rally. Simarcis was second on the Love Cyprus Golden Stage, receiving €15,000, with Griebel taking €10,000 for third.

The rally’s organising committee Love Cyprus Golden Stage 1 (SS13) had to cancel for safety reasons.

Results
1. A. Lukyanuk – A. Arnautov – Ford Fiesta R5 – 1:57:49.7
2. M. Griebel – P. Winklhofer – Skoda Fabia R5 – 1:59:49.0
3. R. Simarcis – A.Siminis – Skoda Fabia R5 – 2:00:34.9
4. D. Botka – P. Szelles – Citroen DS3 – 2:03:27.7
5. Ch. Demostheous – P. Laos – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 – 2:03:48.4
6. CHIPS JUNIOR– A. Chrysostomou – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 – 2:06:07.6
7. C. Zenonos – F. Chrisofi – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 – 2:06:12.5
8. S. Savva – A. Papandreou – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 – 2:09:04.9
9. M. Posidias – “Erikson” – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10 – 2:10:59.4
10. St. Antoniou – D. Pieris– Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 – 2:11:56.0
(Note: The results are provisional until final technical check)

Special Stages Results
SS1
1. Α. Lykyanuk 6:29.9
2. M. Griebel 6:33.9
3. C. Demosthenoyw 6:39.7

SS2
1. A. Lukyanuk 13:00.5
2. N. Gryazin 13:17.6
3. M. Griebel 13:26.6

S.S 3
1. R. Sirmacis 7:40,3
2. A. Lykyanuk 7:40,4
3. N. Gryazin 7:41,5

S.S 4
1. A. Lykyanuk 9:44,5
2. N. Gryazin 9:54,6
3. M. Griebel 9:57,4

S.S 5
1. A. Lykyanuk 16:02,6
2. N. Gryazin 16:13,3
3. M. Griebel 16:13,8

S.S 6
1. R. Sirmarcis 8:47.6
2. C. Demosthenous 8:49.0
3. A. Lukyanuk 8:50.5

S.S 7
1. Α. Lukyanuk 7:26.7
2. R. Simarcis 7:33.9
3. M. Griebel 7.38.0

S.S 8
1. A. Lukyanuk 16:08.8
2. M. Griebel 16:10.6
3. R. Simarcis 16:21.6

S.S 9
1. A. Lukyanuk 8:27.7
2. M. Griebel 8:38.8
3. R. Samarcis 8:42.7

S.S 10
1. A. Lukyanuk 5:08.7
2. R. Sirmacis 5:13.4
3. M. Griebel 5:15.7

SS. 11
1.A. Lukyanuk 6:16.6
2. M. Griebel 6:23.5
3. R. Simarcis 6:29.4

S.S 12
1.A. Lukyanuk 12:32.8
2. R. Simarcis 12:48.1
3. M. Griebel 12:49.7

S.S 14
1. A. Lukyanuk 9.06.2
2. R. Sirmacis 9:17.0
3. M. Griebel 9:19.1