Hunt: I loved driving Super 2000 Peugeot in the IRC

Harry Hunt tried a Super 2000 car for size in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge for the first time on Rallye Sanremo last week and said he loved the experience.

The 24-year-old Briton normally competes in the IRC 2WD Cup but stepped up to the headlining Super 2000 class for the Italian asphalt event, driving a Kronos Racing Peugeot 207. He recorded several top-six stage times and finished 14th overall alongside stand-in co-driver Dale Moscatt.

Despite two punctures prevented him from scoring a top 10 finish, Hunt said: “I absolutely loved it, although the Super 2000 car is definitely the most physical car I have ever driven. With a new car, a new co-driver and a tricky event, I just concentrated on driving within my limits and not taking any risks. The two punctures we experienced were a bit of a strange thing: I may have clipped the side of the road for the first one, but the second one is completely inexplicable. In any case, I’m not too bothered: the objective here was to learn a bit more about this type of car and see if we could set competitive times with it while making sure we got to the finish. I’m absolutely delighted that we achieved all those goals.”

Harry’s team manager Iwan Evans added: “For Harry to set the times that he did without pushing too hard is a sign of the confidence that he built up in just a short space of time with the car, and very encouraging for the future. The car came back without a scratch on it and he managed to learn a lot, while assessing various options for the future and the next step in his career. That was our mission in Sanremo: now we focus on the final round of the IRC in Cyprus next month and trying to win the two-wheel drive championship.”