Consani to count on Klinger for Circuit of Ireland debut

Frenchmen Robert Consani and Nicolas Klinger will continue their chase of Intercontinental Rally Challenge glory when they take on the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally in their Renault Mégane RS.

And they hope that Klinger’s inside knowledge of the Northern Irish roads will be a secret weapon as they bid for success in both the IRC Production Cup and IRC 2WD Cup.

Although neither Consani nor Klinger have competed on the Armagh-based event before, Klinger formed part of eight-time world champion Sebastien Loeb’s safety crew – whose job it is to drive through the stages before the competing car and check the pace notes – when Rally Ireland formed part of the global series. On both occasions, in 2007 and 2009, Loeb won the rally.

“I’ve got some idea of what to expect and what to look out for,” said Klinger, who co-drove Nicolas Vouilloz to the IRC crown in 2008 in a Peugeot 207 S2000. “The Irish roads will be fast and bumpy, with quite a lot of hazards. For Robert, this will be the first time there, so I hope that my experience from the past will be useful to him.”