Sandell pips Prokop and Andersson to the post after raging battle for S-WRC victory
Three J-WRC Champions fought for the lead throughout on the seventh round of the FIA 2010 Super 2000 World Rally Championship at ADAC Rallye Deutschland, but it was Swedish duo Patrik Sandell and Emil Axelsson who sealed the victory.

Martin Prokop (CZE), who Sandell beat to eventual victory by only four seconds, took an early advantage and held it until SS9 when P-G Andersson (SWE), who had been closing in on him throughout, climbed into the lead. Not to be outdone by his countryman, Sandell then slipped past Prokop on SS12, leaving his Czech rival frustrated and ready to push harder to fight to get ahead again.

Only six seconds separated the three when they started the final day, but on the first stage of the morning, Andersson landed badly as he came over a right-hand crest, hit a rock and punctured a tyre, losing three minutes. This mistake dropped him to fourth behind Eyvind Brynildsen (NOR) and allowed Sandell to take the lead. Furious with himself, but unwilling to admit defeat, Andersson fought hard in the afternoon and retook third to claim the final place on the podium and 15 S-WRC points. He held onto second place in the series standings, but with Prokop sitting only five points adrift of him in third, the pressure for the rest of the season is increasing.

Brynildsen brought his Fabia home fourth, followed by Championship leader Xevi Pons (ESP) who had a difficult rally. The Spaniard didn’t suffer any major problems, but found the German tarmac difficult to negotiate and for the first time this season was unable to match the pace of the frontrunners. Nonetheless, he was pleased to finish with 13 points to boost his Championship standings tally and enough tarmac experience under his belt to head for victory in Rallye de France - Alsace.

DRIVER QUOTES
1st – PATRIK SANDELL (SWE): “It's absolutely crazy!! Martin, P-G and I had a great battle all weekend and to win it feels incredible. We pushed from the first metre to the last trying to do our best. The car was fantastic, we didn't have a single problem and the team did a great job!”

2nd – MARTIN PROKOP (CZE): “I'm a little disappointed. Maybe I was too relaxed! I tried to stay controlled and to save the car, but when I realised I had to push if I wanted to win, it was too late! It was great to have a fight until the end and I really enjoyed it.”

3rd – P-G ANDERSSON (SWE): “I'm not so happy. I pushed from the beginning and then I made one mistake and it was all over. It's a real shame! Anyway it was a great battle and it's nice to see that Swedes can go fast on tarmac as well.”

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