Despite crashing out of the last IRC round in Ypres, Juho Hanninen starts Sata Rallye Acores on a high after winning the recent Rally Bohemia, a round of the Czech championship. While that event took place on asphalt, Hanninen makes no secret of his preference for gravel stages and has won the last two loose-surface IRC events in Argentina and Sardinia.
While there is no doubting Hanninen’s pace on gravel, the Finn admits his Skoda Fabia S2000 Facelift has undergone limited running on the loose, which means Skoda’s planned pre-event test in the Azores early next week will be crucial for developing an effective set-up.
Jan Kopecky proved on Sardinia, the last IRC qualifier to take place on gravel, that he is more than just an asphalt specialist with three stage wins. The Czech’s second place finish in Ypres last month has hauled him firmly into title contention. Like team-mate Hanninen, Kopecky has experience from competing in the Azores last season, where he finished second to Kris Meeke.
As the defending IRC champion, Meeke has endured a poor run of results of late, crashing out in Sardinia and Ypres while challenging for victory, which means he trails title leader Hanninen by 27 points. His Peugeot UK 207’s suspension settings are better suited to the smoother gravel roads in the Azores and a repeat of his win there in 2009 would go a huge way towards making up for some of his recent disappointments, not to mention hand him a lifeline in his quest for a second title.
For Bruno Magalhaes the Azores marks the first rally of the season that the ever-present Portuguese has prior experience of and he will be expected to shine at the wheel of his Peugeot Sport Portugal 207. Magalhaes has scored points on all six rounds of the IRC and was in contention for a podium finish in the Azores last season until a gearbox fault foiled his hopes.
Andreas Mikkelsen secured his first IRC points in Ypres last month in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 and will be looking to recapture the pace he showed in Sardinia, where his recovery from an opening-stage crash netted a succession of top five stage times. Mikkelsen, from Norway, is an Azores novice but has shown plenty of adaptability throughout his career and could benefit from a more advantageous road position, the result of starting further down the order.
Portugal’s Bernardo Sousa will also be at the wheel of an M-Sport Fiesta. The 22-year-old leads his domestic championship, which runs in tandem with the main IRC event, after winning the opening three rounds and is therefore intent on maximising domestic championship points rather than chasing outright pace. However, he has the speed to run at the front of the field and could prove a nuisance to the IRC regulars.
Like Mikkelsen, Burcu Cetinkaya also began her IRC campaign in Sardinia in her Peugeot Sport Turkey 207. Sadly, damage to her car caused in an accident on the Ypres Rally means she won’t be competing in the Azores although she will still travel to the event to drive one of the course cars.
Daniel Oliveira had also been due to take part in his Stohl Racing Peugeot 207, but a hefty crash in Ypres, which left co-driver Carlos del Barrio with a collapsed lung, has scuppered those plans. Del Barrio is making a swift recovery and the pair is set to return to IRC duty on round eight in Madeira next month. Franz Wittmann is also missing from the entry in his Interwetten Racing 207.
With Guy Wilks still recuperating from the back injuries he sustained in a high-speed crash in Sardinia in early June and Proton trio Chris Atkinson, Tom Cave and Alister McRae pulling their entries while a solution to the engine problem that sidelined all three Satria Neos in Ypres is found, several Portuguese drivers are expected to battle for IRC points, which are handed out to the top eight finishers. They include Vitor Pascoal (Peugeot 207), Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer driver Ricardo Moura and Sergio Silva, who pilots a Subaru Impreza.
Former IRC 2WD Cup champion Marco Cavigioli had been expected to challenge for the class laurels in the Azores but a pre-event testing crash badly damaged his diesel-powered Fiat Abarth Grande Punto. Cavigioli’s absence is set to play into the hands of event newcomer, the Brazilian Rafael Tulio, who claimed the two-wheel drive division in Argentina back in March in his Peugeot 206. Portuguese driver Paulo Antunes will also be a contender for honours in another 206.