Exciting Developments at Rally Isla de Los Volcanes
The Rally Isla de Los Volcanes, now part of the Super Championship of Spain (S-CER) for the first time, marked the return of the PEUGEOT CHALLENGE to the Canary Islands after 17 years. The event took place in Lanzarote and is the second of two new dirt rallies in the 26th edition of the championship, leading up to the thrilling conclusion at the Rally Villa de Llanes on 25-26 September.
Following the dirt event, Javier Cañada has taken the lead in the PEUGEOT CHALLENGE standings. After dominating the series since their win in March at the Rally La Nucía-Mediterráneo, Miguel García / Carla Salvat dropped to second place after a puncture hampered their performance at Lanzarote.
Cañada, alongside co-driver Aday Ortiz, secured second place at the Isla de Los Volcanes, earning them the top position in the PEUGEOT brand championship. They also won the TC Plus stage, narrowly edging out Javier Sosa / Carlos Fragiel by just 0.9 seconds.
The local competitors started strong, with Cañada taking the lead after the first stage, completing it with two top times. However, a puncture early in the final section cost Cañada 32.2 seconds, sealing the victory for Sosa and Fragiel, who celebrated their first win in the PEUGEOT CHALLENGE with ONE Racing this season.
Francisco Puertas / Sergio Fernández, winners of the Rally Ciudad de Utiel, aimed to reclaim victory but settled for third, keeping their title hopes alive for the upcoming Llanes rally. Meanwhile, Joan Socias / Diego Fuentes faced challenges but finished fourth, finishing ahead of García and Salvat, who struggled throughout the event.
Rally Isla de Los Volcanes Results:
- Javier Sosa / Carlos Fragiel (PEUGEOT 208 Rally4) – 1:19:58.6
- Javier Cañada / Aday Ortiz (PEUGEOT 208 Rally4) – +54.3
- Francisco Puertas / Sergio Fernández (PEUGEOT 208 Rally4) – +1:15.5
- Joan Socias / Diego Fuentes (PEUGEOT 208 Rally4) – +2:27.3
- Miguel García / Carla Salvat (PEUGEOT 208 Rally4) – +18:39.1
PEUGEOT CHALLENGE 2026 Standings:
- Javier Cañada – 84.60 points
- Miguel García – 81.40 points
- Francisco Puertas – 73.40 points
- Pablo Fernández – 49 points
- Javier Sosa – 40.40 points
The remaining events in the PEUGEOT CHALLENGE 2026 include:
- Rally La Nucía-Mediterráneo (20-21 March) [asphalt]
- Rally Ciudad de Utiel (15-16 May) [dirt]
- Rally Rías Baixas (3-4 July) [asphalt]
- Rally Isla de Los Volcanes (8-9 August) [dirt]
- Rally Villa de Llanes (25-26 September) [asphalt]
Javier Sosa shared his thoughts on the win and his journey in the challenge in a recent interview with Deportes Onda Fuerteventura.
