Hunt remains hopeful of IRC 2WD Cup joy
"I think we’ve got the pace to win this one"
Defending IRC 2WD Cup champion Harry Hunt believes he can still win the category on Sata Rallye Açores after a spin on stage two dropped him back to second position in the class, six seconds behind local driver Paulo Maciel.
Hunt, who is co-driven by fellow Briton Robbie Durant in a Citroën DS3 R3, said: “I think we’ve got the pace to win this one: it’s a rally that we’ve targeted as being good for us right from the start of the year. We lost about 10 seconds with the spin on the second stage, so I think we could have been in front tonight. But it really doesn’t matter as there’s such a long way to go.”
The London driver will start day two with a slightly tweaked car following changes in service by his I Cars Motorsport technicians to provide better traction and a more precise turn-in.
“The stages are very slippery,” explained the 22-year-old. “You have to be so careful with the braking: in a few places it feels a bit like driving on ice.”
Maciel and Hunt hold 18th and 19th places overall respectively at the end of the opening day.
Frenchman Jean-Michel Raoux, who heads the IRC 2WD Cup standings after five rounds, is sixth overnight.