Sanremo - IRC news before SS1 (part 2)

Hanninen to start first on Sanremo’s IRC counter

Juho Hänninen will start first on the road on the opening day of Rallye Sanremo.

The 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge will be the first of 50 runners to tackle the 13.06-kilometre Caldirodi stage from 14:34hrs local time in his ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000.

Giandomenico Basso, the winner in Sanremo in 2008, will start second in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta RRC with top Peugeot 207 S2000 Paolo Andreucci next up, followed by Umberto Scandola, who was fastest in shakedown in his ŠKODA Italia entry.

“I haven’t made any special plans,” said Hänninen. “It’s a nice rally, one of best Tarmac rallies. At the same time it’s difficult and technical and the IRC event with the highest level of local drivers. That makes it very difficult for us but I don’t give up yet and we will see. I get a good feeling and enjoy this rally.”

Bryan Bouffier is the top IRC 2WD Cup seed in 11th in a Peugeot 208 R2. Marco Tempestini is the leading IRC Production Cup contender.

Changeable weather expected on Rallye Sanremo

Mixed weather is expected when Rallye Sanremo hosts the penultimate round of the 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge from today (12 October).

While the opening loop is expected to take place in dry conditions, albeit with some damp sections following recent heavy rain, there is a possibility of rain ahead of tonight’s 44-kilometre Ronde stage.

“The weather can be very variable as we have seen on the internet,” said Anna Andreussi, who will co-drive Paolo Andreucci in a Peugeot 207 Super 2000. “At shakedown it was dry at 16:59hrs but then at 17:01hrs it was raining, it can change that quickly and [Friday] it is likely to be variable. For Saturday we wait and see but we cannot draw any more conclusions at the moment.”

Andreucci and Andreussi can wrap up the Italian title with a strong result in Sanremo in their Peugeot Italia entry. They claimed their sole IRC victory to date by winning in Sanremo in 2010.

"The event is extremely important for us," said Andreussi. "It’s very decisive for the Italian championship. The objective is to do as well as we can against the international competition but we have to be very realistic because the competition is very tough and we have to be very much focused on the job.”

Kopecky braced for tough fight for Sanremo IRC glory

Jan Kopecký starts Rallye Sanremo later today aware of the tough test ahead on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge counter.

The ŠKODA Motorsport ace, a seven-time winner in the IRC, has dominated this season’s Czech championship alongside selected appearances in the all-action IRC.

He said: “Sanremo is a very technical rally, the drivers have to change the rhythm all the time and the stages are rather long, which is quite demanding in terms of concentration. Our ambition here is to succeed but it is a big challenge for us.”

Kopecký finished fourth overall in Sanremo last season and left the event leading the IRC title fight. He is currently third in the standings, 10 points behind team-mate and former IRC champion Juho Hänninen.

Love at first sight for Peugeot ace Bouffier

Bryan Bouffier has praised his Peugeot 208 R2 after he sampled the car on asphalt for the first time during shakedown for Rallye Sanremo yesterday.

Bouffier, a podium finisher on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge counter in the past, is switching from his familiar Peugeot 207 Super 2000 to the company’s all-new 208 R2, which is being used in competition for the first time in Italy this week.

“First of all I am very happy to be here in Sanremo, it’s a fantastic race especially because we introduce the new Peugeot 208 R2,” said Frenchman Bouffier. “The target for Peugeot is to make this car the best car in its class. We drove it for the first time [yesterday] afternoon and the feeling was very good since the first kilometres. The car has a good potential to do a good result. Okay, it’s not easy to switch from a Super 2000 car but I have a good feeling and this car is nice to drive.”

Bouffier will be a contender for IRC 2WD Cup honours alongside navigator Xavier Panseri. He reckons a top 15 finish will be possible. “If we could be in top 12 or 15 it could be great,” he said.

Scandola tops Sanremo shakedown, dreams of victory

Umberto Scandola has begun his bid to win Rallye Sanremo in style by setting the pace in shakedown for the penultimate event of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge season.

Scandola, who says winning the asphalt event in Italy’s Liguria region would “mean everything” was seven-tenths of a second faster than seven-time IRC event winner Jan Kopecký over the 3.2-kilometre test in San Romolo. Both were driving ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000s.

“For any Italian driver to win Rallye Sanremo the feeling is indescribable and hard to put into words,” said Scandola. “I recognise the level of the competition will be very high, the roads are tricky but winning would mean everything and it’s always what I wanted.”

As well as chasing IRC points in Sanremo – he was a frontrunner in Sicily and San Marino earlier this season – Scandola is in contention for the Italian championship, which is running in tandem with the main IRC event this weekend.

Other drivers to impress in shakedown included Giandomenico Basso, who was third quickest in his turbocharged M-Sport Ford Fiesta RRC. Former IRC champion Juho Hänninen was fourth fastest for ŠKODA with Pierre Campana the leading Peugeot 207 S2000 driver in fifth. Italian championship leader Paolo Andreucci was seventh for Peugeot Italia with IRC returnee Craig Breen eighth.

Harry Hunt was the 10th fastest driver eligible for overall IRC points on his first start on an IRC event in a Kronos Racing Peugeot. Alessandro Re was actually marginally faster than the young Briton but is not able to claim overall scores in his Citroën DS3 R3T.

Shakedown took place in warm and dry conditions on Thursday afternoon before the onset of heavy showers well into the evening.

Top 10 IRC shakedown times

1 Umberto Scandola (ŠKODA Fabia S2000) 2m05.2s
2 Jan Kopecký (ŠKODA Fabia S2000) 2m05.9s
3 Giandomenico Basso (M-Sport Ford Fiesta RRC) 2m06.0s
4 Juho Hänninen (ŠKODA Fabia S2000) 2m06.4s
5 Pierre Campana (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2m07.6s
6 Alessandro Perico (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2m08.9s
7 Paolo Andreucci (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2m09.5s
8 Craig Breen (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2m09.5s
9 Stefano Albertini (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2m10.2s
10 Harry Hunt (Peugeot 207 S2000 (2m12.3s)

Solberg team recruits Turan for Sanremo IRC

Petter Solberg Engineering will have a new driver in its M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 when the Intercontinental Rally Challenge fires back into life on Rallye Sanremo this week.

With the Hankook Motorsports-backed squad confirming Patrik Flodin’s unavailability for the Italian event, Hungarian Frigyes Turán will take part on his first IRC qualifier since the Canon Mecsek Rallye last September instead.

Turán, a former circuit racer, has a reputation for being a rapid performer on asphalt, the surface used on the penultimate round of the IRC.

“We’re hoping for points but there is no pressure on him to do this,” said Hankook’s Mike Patterson. “He’s a good driver and the car is not knew to him.”