Basso set to play catch-up in Sicily

Giandomenico Basso has conceded that he will be playing catch-up on Targa Florio-Rally Internazionale Di Sicilia because he hasn’t been able to conduct a substantial pre-event test.

Italian Basso is a contender for victory on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier in his turbocharged Ford Fiesta Regional Rally Car and is anxious for revenge after retiring on a road section on the previous IRC round in Corsica while leading.

He said: “How Corsica ended was obviously very disappointing for us, but if we look at the positive side, we showed a lot of speed. I hope it can be the same [in Sicily] although we are not going to get the chance to do a really good test so we will have to work out a set-up as we go along. Mille Miglia [a round of the Italian championship] gave us a lot of confidence but Targa Florio will be a bit different: slightly quicker and more flowing. There are two new stages this year, which I think will be absolutely crucial. Nobody has any experience of them and we don’t really know what they will be like – so if you can set a good time there, it could be very interesting for the final result.”

Targa Florio-Rally Internazionale Di Sicilia gets underway with the first of 11 stages tomorrow (Thursday 14 June).