Bouffier confident for strong Monte run

Bryan Bouffier believes his lack of Rallye Monte-Carlo experience won’t put him at a disadvantage when he contests the Intercontinental Rally Challenge season-opener from 18-22 January.

The defending French rally champion made his debut on the legendary event last season, retiring his Subaru Impreza from a possible point-scoring finish with a mechanical failure. He will return for a second attempt this year in a Peugeot Sport-prepared 207 Super 2000.

He said: “This event is never easy with tyre choice making a big difference. I also don’t have much experience but I am in a fantastic position. I am in a very good team with two other very good drivers and this means I am highly motivated and full of confidence.”

Bouffier began his preparations for the centenary edition of Rallye Monte-Carlo with a three-day test in the south of France last month. He completed one day on dry asphalt and two days on snow-coated roads.

“It was good training for the rally because we were able to adapt the set-up of the car to the conditions quite well and I don’t have a big experience of driving on snow so it was good for this reason also,” said Bouffier.