ERC target achieved for Gryazin

The Russian teenager held on for third in ERC Junior Under 28 despite a final-stage puncture slowing him down and enabling José Suárez to close to within 1.6s.

“My target was to finish this rally so I was not pushing like at other races,” said the Sports Racing Technologies-run ŠKODA Fabia R5 driver.

“It was getting better on each stage but sometimes I was on two wheels and it was difficult. On Semetín [on leg one] it was not a flat corner but I tried to go flat with a cut.

"The car hit the bottom at 140kph and it hurt my back a bit but I think it's okay. The stages were tricky and it was difficult on the bumps. We could have finished in the top 10 but then we got a puncture on the last stage.”