Colin McRae IRC Trophy goes to Hänninen

Juho Hänninen has been chosen as the winner of the prestigious Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy following his victory on Sata Rallye Açores earlier today.

The award is presented in memory of the Scottish rallying legend and is handed out on each round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge to the driver whose performance best embodies McRae’s fighting spirit behind the wheel.

Gilbert Roy, the Director of Editorial and Programme Development of Eurosport Events, the IRC’s Motorsport Development Manager Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Jimmy McRae, Colin’s father, formed the three-person judging panel.

Roy explained the decision: “It was pretty difficult to decide who should win this award because it was a very intense battle between Juho and Andreas Mikkelsen. In the end we decided Juho was the most deserving driver. When he lost the lead he reacted perfectly with a very strong performance on stage 14, which was a very difficult stage. It was a wonderful performance and completely in the spirit of what Colin used to do in terms of fighting spirit and passion.”

After accepting the award from Roy, Hänninen said: “It’s a great honour to receive this important award – it makes it a perfect rally for me.”

Hänninen, whose ŠKODA Motorsport Fabia Super 2000 was co-driven by fellow Finn Mikko Markkula, also secured the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy for his performance on Rallye Monte-Carlo in January.