Wittmann targets change of fortune

Franz Wittmann says it’s vital that he gets his Intercontinental Rally Challenge season back on track on Rally d’Italia-Sardegna next month.

Wittmann, from Austria, failed to finish an IRC round for the second event in succession after he went off the road on Rally Islas Canarias and tore the right-rear wheel from his Interwetten Racing-run Peugeot. He had been running 10th overall at the time.

“I was not happy with the car [in Gran Canaria] even though I felt I had the speed,” said Wittmann. “That’s not good so we’ll have to prepare ourselves perfectly for Sardinia because it’s important we get a good result there. Already there are several ideas in my mind on how to improve ourselves so now we’ll try to realise them.”

Rally d’Italia-Sardegna is new to the IRC calendar this season and counts as the fifth round of the Eurosport Events-run championship. The rally starts in Sardinia’s capital Cagliari on Friday 4 June with the finish in Olbia on 6 June.