The Škoda Canarias Motorsport team celebrated a remarkable achievement at the 42nd Orvecame Norte Rally, the second event of the 2026 Canary Islands Asphalt Rally Championship (CCRA). Both of their teams managed to reach the podium in the competition held in Tenerife. Alexey Lukyanuk and Yury Kulikov, who arrived as leaders after their brilliant victory in Lanzarote, initially commanded the Tenerife race.
The Lukyanuk-Kulikov duo took the lead after the rally's opening night stage. Over a 19.22 km course with wet asphalt, Lukyanuk set a time 25.9 seconds faster than his main rival, despite suffering a puncture before reaching the finish line. However, adverse weather conditions made the rally unpredictable.
During Saturday's first section, the two-time European champion made a tire choice error, opting for a hard compound when rain affected two of the three stages, which cost him the lead dearly. Although he made the correct tire choice in the third section, a sensor malfunction then ruined his performance on the day's longest and most decisive stage. Despite finishing 51.3 seconds behind the winners, Enrique Cruz and Yeray Mujica, the Škoda Canarias Motorsport team secured the TC+ and maintained their lead in the CCRA.
“"Unfortunately, we suffered a puncture on the first stage and made a mistake in tire choice in the morning section. Also, in the second section, we had electrical problems and the car was working in front-wheel drive for 20 kilometers, and we lost a lot of time. The victory slipped away, but the sensations have been just as good as in Lanzarote."
Meanwhile, Sergio Fuentes and Tecorice Hernández, winners of the rally the previous year, demonstrated their skill on the northern Tenerife stages. They positioned themselves in third place from Friday night thanks to a conservative tire strategy. They maintained this advantage throughout Saturday, despite rain, fog, and mud, securing a valuable third place that completed the double podium for Škoda Canarias Motorsport.
“"In our case, Friday night's setup wasn't for going faster, but for being safer. On Saturday morning, we were also conservative, and that allowed us to move into third position while some of our rivals suffered more. The strategy was appropriate because we achieved our first podium of the year and very important points for the championships."
The Canary Islands Asphalt Rally Championship will continue in Tenerife next May with the Rally Villa de Adeje, which will also feature teams from the Spanish Asphalt Rally Championship. Before that, Alexey Lukyanuk will once again get into the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 to compete in the Rally Islas Canarias-Rally de España, an FIA World Rally Championship event that he has won four times during its European stage.
