Armindo Araujo to open stages on day 1

Based on results of the qualifying stage, drivers got to pick desired starting positions for tomorrow’s stages and not surprisingly fastest qualifiers opted for lower positions on the “grid”.

Petter Solberg will be last among the P1 and P2 drivers to tackle the stages, after he picked 14th position. Mikko Hirvonen (pictured here during what looks like football training turned photo session) will start 13th, right after Sebastien Loeb and Jari-Matti Latvala.

If they’re not topping the time sheets, WRC Mini Team Portugal drivers Armindo Araujo and Paulo Nobre will have the honor of opening the stages for the rest of the field. More precisely, Araujo will start first with Nobre following as second on the road. Volkswagen’s ace Sebastien Ogier will scream around in his S2000 car as third, right in front of the Hoonigan Ken Block.

Starting order for day 1:

1. Araujo
2. Nobre
3. Ogier
4. Block
5. Atkinson
6. Al-Attiyah
7. Tanak
8. Neuville
9. Ostberg
10. Novikov
11. Latvala
12. Loeb
13. Hirvonen
14. Solberg

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