Hanninen keen on more IRC runs

Juho Hanninen wants his absence from the Intercontinental Rally Challenge to be temporary after it was confirmed that he would not contest this week’s Canon Mecsek Rallye in Hungary.

Hanninen, the defending IRC champion, heads this year’s drivers’ standings by three points following his hat trick of victories in his SKODA Motorsport Fabia Super 2000. Despite his
impressive start to the season, claiming the IRC title for a second time is not his priority owing to commitments in the Super 2000 World Rally Championship.

“I would really like to do some more rallies in this great series but it’s open at the moment”, said the 30-year-old Finn, who is locked in a close battle for title glory with SKODA team-mates Jan Kopecky and Freddy Loix. “It hasn’t been confirmed yet but it’s possible we will do some more IRC rallies this year.”

If Hanninen does contest further events in 2011 then he will choose from the final three rounds in Sanremo, Scotland and Cyprus.