Spare tyre risk pays dividends for Hanninen

30th August 2010

By Charlie Contadeli

Juho Hanninen said he risked carrying one spare tyre for the final loop of four stages on Barum Czech Rally Zlin yesterday (Sunday) in a determined effort to keep his Intercontinental Rally Challenge title bid on track.

With team-mate and championship rival Jan Kopecky heading for victory and Hanninen languishing in fourth place, the Finn’s title advantage would have been narrowed to two points before dropped scores were taken into account.

The gamble appeared to have backfired when Hanninen picked up a front-left puncture on the first stage of the loop, which left him with no spare tyre for the remaining three stages, only for Kopecky – running behind him on the road – to crash out.

Hanninen eventually took second place when Bryan Bouffier hit trouble on the final stage. As a result Kopecky must now win the next round, September’s Rallye Sanremo, and hope that Hanninen finishes outside of the top two to keep alive his own title hopes.

“It was a big risk but we had nothing to lose,” said Hanninen, whose decision to carry one spare gave him a weight saving of approximately 20kgs. “I couldn’t take the same choice as the other drivers because there would have been no advantage and I needed to do something for the championship.

“It looks very good for me now for the championship and maybe more difficult for Jan. I don’t know what is the plan for the last part of the season. I don’t know if we go to Sanremo but at least we can go more relaxed.”