Having set second fastest time on SS1 and 4 and third fastest time on SS 2 and 3, the Škoda UK Motorsport driver is second overall – just 23.1 seconds behind last year’s rally winner Kris Meeke.



All these stages, located near the city of Curitiba, are new to Guy, and after making a good start he was 18.6 seconds quicker over the second running of the Campo Magro stage – highlighting how important experience of these stages are.



Two Škoda Fabia S2000 drivers are currently in the top three, with Jan Kopecký a further 19.2 seconds behind Guy.

His Škoda Motorsport team-mate Juho Hänninen is fifth, after losing time on the opening stage with a puncture.

Conditions have been very difficult on the gravel stages, with heavy overnight rain making the road surface extremely slippery.

Guy and co-driver Phil Pugh has put in a faultless performance, as they return to the Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba for the mid-day service.



“We’re very happy with the start we’ve made on our first rally in Brazil,” said Guy.  “The Fabia S2000 is running well and we made a good tyre choice.



"Some drivers put full cuts in their tyres and some drivers put no extra cuts at all, but we opted for a middle ground of half cuts and it seemed to work very well on the slippery surface."


Leg 1 continues this afternoon, with three more stages.


Top six after SS4

1. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Peugeot 207 S2000)…29:56.1
2. Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Škoda Fabia S2000)…+23.1
3. Jan Kopecký/Petr Starý (Škoda Fabia S2000)…+42.3
4. Bruno Magalhăes/Carlos Magalhăes  (Peugeot 207 S2000)…+1:20.9
5. Juho Hänninen/Mikko Markkula (Škoda Fabia S2000)…+1:36.8
6. Daniel Rolim Oliveira/Denis Giraudet (Peugeot 207 S2000)…+3:37.3

More news later...