Hänninen excited by Curitiba stages

Juho Hänninen has high hopes for a strong result on Rally Internacional de Curitiba after watching Eurosport’s onboard footage from last year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier.

The Škoda Motorsport factory driver says the high-speed gravel stages are similar to the roads in his native Finland, where he honed his skills behind the wheel.

Hänninen, who is second in the IRC standings following the opening event of the season in Monte Carlo last month, said: “The stages seem to be very fast, like Finland and I think I will really like driving there. The surface also looks strong so I am sure the stages will be handle two passes without a problem.”

Finn Hänninen and co-driver Mikko Markkula will be among a number of IRC regulars making their debuts on the Curitiba-based event, which runs from 4-6 March.