Neuville took victory in the test rally, Mikko Heikkilä outperformed the Latvian prospect

Neuville competed in a rally belonging to the Spanish gravel series as a test in preparation for the WRC round in Chile at the end of this month. The Belgian driver holds a solid 34-point lead over his teammate Ott Tänak in the WRC standings, putting Neuville on the verge of securing his first career championship.

A total of eight special stages were run in Granada, and Neuville set the fastest time on every stage. He was the only driver in the competition with a Rally1 car, and as expected, he won with a comfortable margin over the next competitor. Finnish driver Mikko Heikkilä finished second overall, trailing Neuville by more than two minutes.

Heikkilä claimed a significant scalp in Spain by finishing ahead of Latvian Martins Sesks, who has rapidly risen to the top echelons of the rally world this summer. Sesks competed with a top-tier car in Poland and in his home rally in Latvia, where he came close to a podium finish, but a technical issue on the final stage ruined his chances for a top result.

Driving a Ford Rally2 car in Granada, Sesks was beaten by Heikkilä, who drove a Skoda, by 12.5 seconds.

“Second place overall and the fastest Rally2 car. What a rally! It was great to be here for the third time. A big thank you to the organizers, the team, and all the fans for the amazing support on the stages,” Heikkilä praised on social media.

Among the top names, the best Spanish driver in Granada was Xavi Vidales, who, however, was more than three minutes behind Heikkilä and Sesks. Spanish gravel series leader and veteran Alexander Villanueva finished fifth.

The Chilean WRC round will take place from September 26th to 29th. Sesks will again drive a Rally1 car in Chile, but like in the Polish WRC round in June, he will not have a hybrid unit available.

Rallye Ciudad de Granada, results