Love is in the air for IRC winner Basso

Giandomenico Basso celebrated the first victory in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge for M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta Regional Rally Car by revealing how much he loves the turbocharged machine.

Basso won Rally San Marino by 2.8s following a thrilling battle with defending IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen.

“It was my first time with the Ford Fiesta RRC on gravel and I had the best feeling ever,” said Basso. “Although I couldn’t test properly before the rally, immediately I had a good feeling with the car, a very good package with good balance and traction. By the end I found this car the easiest car I have ever driven. I could do things that had been much more difficult in the past. I love it.”

Basso’s success in San Marino was M-Sport’s third triumph in the IRC following on from wins by Mikko Hirvonen and Nasser Al-Attiyah in 2010 driving the company’s Fiesta S2000.