Wittmann satisfied after shakedown

Franz Wittmann says he was satisfied after pre-event shakedown for Rally Canarias, despite only managing the ninth-fastest time ahead of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier.

Wittmann is making his return to the IRC after skipping the recent double-header in South America driving an Interwetten Racing Peugeot 207 Super 2000.

The Austrian said: “The shakedown course has little in common with the special stages on Friday and Saturday. Therefore we focused on getting the right feeling for the Tarmac. Our set-up isn’t yet perfect but we’ve been working on it and I am very confident we’ll find it although it might take one or two special stages before we find the right rhythm.”

Wittmann, who will be co-driven by Klaus Wicha, travelled to Gran Canaria on the back of winning a round of the German national championship earlier this month. However, he said that success would count for very little when the action gets underway on Friday morning.

“Of course it’s a confidence boost but the level will be very different to what it is here,” Wittmann added.