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Jan Kopecky and the Skoda team took victory at the Intercontinental Rally Challenge's ninth race of the season, Rally Principe de Asturias.

After signing a maiden IRC victory at his home event in the Czech Republic last month, Kopecky again displayed constant pace and avoided all the traps at the controls of his reliable Fabia S2000, taking only two victories over the 15-stage event.

He however built an untouchable two-minute lead on the runner-up thanks to a faultless drive while his direct rivals suffered punctures and mechanical issues during the closing stages.

Nicolas Vouilloz finished second but received a post-race 40-second penalty to drop to third on the podium, while formerly third-placed Kris Meeke gains a position and moves into second.

The direct effect for Meeke is that his new points score allows him to retain the lead of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge drivers' championship by a single point.

Rally winner Kopecky's tenure as IRC series leader was short-lived, as he now finds himself one point behind Meeke with two rounds to go this season.

Freddy Loix encountered trouble when a suspension part gave way as he came out of a corner in the final stage but held on for fourth position.

Italian driver Corrado Fontana brought his Peugeot into the rally's top five, beating local favourite Alberto Hevia. Leading the rally early on, the Spaniard gave it all he could and completed his home event sixth overall ahead of Michal Solowow's Peugeot.

The next Intercontinental Rally Challenge round will be Italy's famous Rally Sanremo from September 24 to 26.

Rally-Live.com / Eurosport