Robert Consani will start next week’s Cyprus Rally hoping to make history on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge season finale.
Consani can become the first driver to clinch both the IRC Production Cup and IRC 2WD Cup titles in the same year although he will need results to go his way in the former category.
The French ace normally drives a Renault Mégane RS in the IRC. Because the car can only be used on all-asphalt rallies, Consani will switch to his Renault Clio R3 for the mixed-surface Cypriot stages. As a result he will only be able to score IRC 2WD Cup points in Cyprus, which he says will be his main focus
in any case.
“I have a 11-point advantage over Harry [Hunt], but it is as if we are starting equal: whoever beats the other will become champion, so at least neither of us has to think about any complicated strategies - it’s just a race to the finish,” said Consani. “The only advantage I have is if we both retire, but I really hope that the title isn’t decided by a retirement and that we can fight to the finish.”
Consani holds a 22-point advantage over Andreas Aigner in the IRC Production Cup. Marco Tempestini and Vitaliy Pushkar are also in contention.