Juho Hänninen’s co-driver Mikko Markkula believes the second place finish they achieved on Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo last week can be the start of a successful Intercontinental Rally Challenge title bid.
The Finnish pair crashed out of the event last season but rarely put a wheel wrong on this year’s rally in their factory Škoda Fabia S2000. They claimed two stage wins and were comfortably clear of third-placed team-mates Nicolas Vouilloz and Benjamin Veillas at the final time control in Monaco.
Markkula said: “Of course our goal and target for the whole year is to win the championship and we have to think about that always. It is a little open what rallies we will do this season but we have to get some good results when we are competing and that is what we did on the Monte Carlo Rally.”
Hänninen and Markkula finished sixth in the final IRC standings in 2009. Their best result was their victory on Rally Russia in July.