Harry Hunt’s bid to mark his second season in the IRC 2WD Cup ended in disappointment following a strong showing on the Cyprus Rally, which finished in Pafos on Saturday evening.
The 23-year-old British driver had set a number of fastest stage times in the division and was closing on second-placed Stefano Albertini when he stopped on the third stage of day two with a damaged rear beam on his Citroën DS3 R3T.
“We got to the end of the first stage [on Saturday morning] and didn’t really notice anything, but the rear beam had been bent slightly,” Hunt said. “The next stage wasn’t too bad because it was all Tarmac and I was faster than [category rival, Stefano] Albertini. But, 12 kilometres into the next stage – even though I was only driving at 40 per cent because of the problem – the right-rear hub ripped away from the rear beam. The stages had been really rough and we think there was a small crack on Friday, which got bigger and bigger. It’s disappointing.”
Hunt’s experiences in Cyprus this year were in complete contrast to 2010 when he clinched the IRC 2WD Cup crown on the Mediterranean island.