IRC Sanremo pre-event press conference

Giandomenico Basso, Juho Hänninen, Kris Meeke and Gilles Panizzi joined Sergio Maiga, president of the event organising club, and Maurizio Zoccarato, the mayor of Sanremo for the pre-event press conference earlier today. A transcript follows:

Alessandro Bugelli (event press officer): You are leading the championship. Do you think you can win the title this weekend?

Juho Hänninen: “Of course it’s possible from the points but, if I am realistic, last year I was only eighth here without any big problems. Okay, I have improved a lot this year but so has the level of the other drivers. And the home drivers here are very tough so to be first or second over here will be very difficult.”

What are your memories of this rally and what result do you think you can achieve this weekend?

Kris Meeke: “I still have very good memories from this rally from last year and I remember saying at the time what was more special, winning such a historic event as this or winning the IRC championship. Obviously both were very good and it was a perfect weekend for me last year. This season has not been so kind to us. I’ve made a few mistakes and things have not gone as smoothly as they did last year. But every time I get behind the wheel I want to achieve the maximum. I really want to fight for the top places but the entry is even stronger than last year. One Italian spectator said to me last year you’ve not won Sanremo until you beat Basso in Sanremo. He’s here this weekend and will be very tough to beat.”

It’s not been a good season for you but you are still in the fight for the Italian championship. What will be your tactic here?

Giandomenico Basso: “The season so far hasn’t been good so I would like to change the direction of my season but only if the other drivers allow it! Of course we will be fighting for the race as much as all the other drivers will do. On Saturday afternoon we will find out who the winner will be.”

You are back here in Sanremo but will you be coming back for more rallies?

Gilles Panizzi: “Absolutely no. I am only here to discover the car and try to help Proton develop this car and no more.”

Your time on shakedown was very strong. Is this a sign that the Peugeot has improved?

Kris Meeke: “I think it’s a little bit of a combination of things. The Peugeot is very well suited to these roads but, unfortunately, the IRC is not all in the Sanremo region! We proved last year that the car worked well in these conditions. For me, having more experience of these roads, means I can drive faster. The car is still good but we’ve just encountered problems on some rallies and the Škodas have improved relative to us and their car is very strong. But this is one of the first rallies this season where there is a lot of support from other Peugeot drivers, Paolo Andreucci, Bryan Bouffier and the others are going to be fighting for the win. If I can’t win then I hope another Peugeot driver is fighting for the win on this rally.”

Are you worried that you will have to follow team orders [and allow your team-mate Luca Rossetti to beat you because he’s ahead of you in the Italian championship]?

Giandomenico Basso: “It could be but the most important thing is to be on top of the ranking at the end of day two of the rally. So far this season I’ve not had a good feeling with the car but I hope I can gain a better feeling here in Sanremo, which is a race I like. That is the most important thing but winning is as well.”

Today is the official launch of the Peugeot 207 Super 2000 Evolution. Since the start of the season, especially on asphalt, in what respect has there been an improvement and how much better is the car now?

Kris Meeke: “There have been some improvements in all areas. Probably the biggest step is with the engine. For me the engine suits some rallies better than others, like here for example and less so in places like Sardinia. We’ve made some small modifications to the brakes and chassis and found some improvement. But the car has a lot of speed and I hope to try to show it on this rally. The Peugeot is still very good and I hope we can do a good job this weekend.”

We’ve seen a big improvement from you this year – how has this been possible?

Juho Hänninen: “After last year it couldn’t get much worse. I made a lot of mistakes so needed a different tactic this year and decided I did not need to win all the stages. I’ve got some good points on Tarmac because I have a lot more self-confidence on Tarmac. I’ve done a lot of testing and the car has improved on gravel and on Tarmac. Kris has been a little unlucky on some rallies and this is perhaps why we are in front of him.”