Hunt targets points in the Azores

20th February 2012

By Rachel Cavers

British rally driver Harry Hunt will look to get his 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season off to a flying start at the championship’s opening round - Sata Rallye Açores - later this week.

Hunt will be joined in a Citroen DS3 R3T by fellow Briton Robbie Durant and the duo are aiming to complete the first round of their 2012 IRC campaign with a healthy points haul. However, with stiff competition and 39 entries, it will be no easy feat for the British pairing.

“It’s going to be a difficult start to our IRC season as the Azores was an event we didn’t finish last year, despite setting some fastest times in our class, but I’m feeling ready to step up my game this year,” explained 23-year-old Harry.

“Our main aim is to finish and to leave the first round of the season with points under our belt.  We’d like to be as competitive as we can against the other crews but there’s a local driver [Paulo Maciel], who will probably be our biggest threat - he was really quick last year.  He won the 2WD category in the Azores last season and I’d really like to challenge him this time round.”

The archipelago of the Azores is made up of nine volcanic islands and is located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean.  The rally is based on the island of São Miguel, the largest in the Portuguese archipelago and known as “The Green Island”, due to its abundance of forest-covered terrain.

Harry’s team manager, Iwan Evans, commented: “The Azores is a technical rally - the stages are very narrow, often wet and can be fast in places.  The terrain is quite unique being a volcanic island, so our setup is a little different from the other gravel rallies we compete at, and the changeable weather means we need to be able to adapt our setup quickly.  We found a good balance here last year, so we have a good base from which to make our changes.”

“The stages over in the Azores are good condition,” said Harry.  “They’re quite tricky when the weather changes and believe me, that can happen fast!  There was one day last year when we started the day with clear skies and then it suddenly turned really foggy. But we have plenty of experience in the car now and we know the roads; I’m ready for a fight!”