IRC Rally Azores preview : The competitors

Six drivers remain locked in battle for the coveted IRC title. But with Freddy Loix, who moved to the top of the standings with victory on the previous round in Belgium, not including Sata Rallye Acores on his schedule, French ace Bryan Bouffier is the driver best placed to be leading the table following the island contest.

The Peugeot 207 Super 2000 driver is three points behind Loix and nine points clear of defending IRC champion Juho Hanninen. However, the talented 32-year-old has never competed in the Azores before and admits that his running on gravel is limited compared to asphalt.

Hanninen is second on the 42-strong entry in his SKODA Motorsport Fabia S2000. The Finn, 29, is only contesting a selected programme of IRC rallies this season but has won on two of his three starts this term. Renowned as a master on gravel, Hanninen is a firm favourite for victory.

Jan Kopecky completes the factory SKODA line-up and will be anxious to make up lost ground after failing to start the previous round in Ypres when his co-driver Petr Stary broke his right collarbone in an accident during shakedown. Stary has since recovered, while Kopecky, who crashed out of the lead on the final stage in the Azores last season, will be out for revenge as he bids to narrow his 15-point deficit to Loix.

Like Bouffier, Guy Wilks is another Azores newcomer in his Peugeot UK 207. But the Briton learned his trade driving on gravel and showed a strong upturn of form in Ypres only to lose out on a seemingly certain podium finish with a spate of punctures.

SKODA UK Motorsport’s Andreas Mikkelsen makes his second visit to the Azores on a high following his victory on Rally di San Marino, a round of the Italian Gravel Trophy last weekend. The Norwegian was fourth overall last year and could have finished higher up the order had he not encountered a herd of cows standing on a stage.

Patrik Sandell is back on IRC duty after skipping the previous round in Belgium. The SKODA Sweden star rates gravel as his preferred surface having amassed significant experience driving on the loose. Following a lacklustre showing on his previous two IRC appearances on asphalt the Swede has promised to show his true pace in the Azores, despite never having competed there.

Bruno Magalhaes claimed his maiden IRC success in the Azores last season and will be determined to emulate that performance this year at the wheel of his Peugeot Sport Portugal 207. The rapid Lisbon resident, who turns 31 on Sunday, has vast knowledge of the island roads and a determination to boost his current points’ tally following a handful of retirements this season.

Julien Maurin, from France, completes the list of Super 2000 runners in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta. The Frenchman says he relishes any chance he can get to drive on gravel and was in action when Sata Rallye Acores appeared on the IRC calendar for the first time in 2009.

IRC Production Cup
Toshi Arai and Fumio Nutahara will be hard to beat in the battle for IRC Production Cup honours in their R4-specification Subaru Imprezas, which were designed to bridge the performance gap between traditional Group N cars and the pacesetting Super 2000 machines.

The Yokohama-shod Imprezas are lighter and more technically advanced than their standard Group N counterparts, which is set to hand the Japanese veterans the edge. However, few drivers get close to Azores resident and multiple regional champion Ricardo Moura when it comes to experience of the demanding gravel stages.

The Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer pilot finished a fine fifth overall last season and is more than capable of achieving a similar result this year. Other contenders include Impreza driver Vitor Lopes and Vitor Pascoal, who switches from the Peugeot 207 he took to sixth overall in 2010 to a Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

IRC 2WD Cup
The IRC 2WD Cup is set to produce a close fight between current leader Jean-Michel Raoux and defending class champion Harry Hunt. But with both drivers competing in the Azores for the first time, local aces such as Paulo Antunes and Carlos Costa will prove hard to beat.

All drivers and co-drivers will take part in the official crew presentation in Ponta Delgada at 21:00hrs on Wednesday 13 July. Shakedown takes place in Remedios-Lagoa from 09:00hrs to 13:0hrs on Thursday 14 July.