Harry Hunt out for more success in Ypres 20.06.2012: GEKO Ypres Rally: Event Preview Harry Hunt is hoping that the extra seat time from competing on last weekend’s Targo Floria Rally will

GEKO Ypres Rally: Event Preview
 


Harry Hunt is hoping that the extra seat time from competing on last weekend’s Targo Floria Rally will help the London-based rally driver when he contests GEKO Ypres Rally, the sixth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, this week (21-23 June).
 

The rally – set in the historic Flemish province of West Flanders – is one of the most popular events on the IRC calendar due to its accessible location in northwest Belgium. Harry, a former IRC two-wheel-drive champion, and co-driver Robbie Durant will take to the Belgian roads for the third consecutive year at the wheel of their Citroen DS3 R3T.
 

“First and foremost, we’re all still so shocked about what happened in Sicily, and we want this rally to be a tribute to Gareth,” said Harry. “He was a very good friend of all of ours, and he truly loved the sport at every level. It’s going to be so strange and sad not seeing him competing this weekend, but I know that he’d want everyone to go out there, enjoy themselves, and do their best. So that’s exactly what we’re going to go and do.”
 

The 23-year-old now leads the IRC 2WD Cup standings and he’s looking forward to getting back behind the wheel.
 

“Ypres is one of my favourites rallies in the IRC, and this will be my third time over there so I’ve got a bit of experience of the roads,” he added. “The atmosphere over there is electric, and the stages are really fun to drive. The first year I was there, I was easily tricked by how open the stages were but there are a lot of potholes and rocks that line the road so you can’t be too confident that nothing will get in your way.”
 

Due to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, Ypres Rally is centred in the historic town centre of Ypres, famous for its architecture and and picturesque town square where the service park is based for the duration of the three-day event. This year’s rally will see the crews tackle 18 special stages, covering almost 300 kilometres of narrow, twisty farm roads. 
 

Harry’s team manager, Iwan Evans, said: “Traditionally Harry has always gone well on the second of two back-to-back events and after a really strong run of results recently, we’re confident that he can keep up this form. Obviously we’re all still deeply saddened by what occurred in Sicily, but we will always treasure the memories we have of Gareth and the precious time we spent together.


Like everyone else, our car will be carrying a commemorative sticker and we hope to come away with a result that he would be proud of. It’s not going to be easy, as the competition will be very specialised and Harry’s actually never finished Ypres before: last year we had a technical problem. But of course we’ll be doing our very best, on what we’re determined should be a joyful event, in celebration of Gareth’s life.”
 

People at home can keep up with Harry’s exploits in Ypres through his regularly-updated Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/harryhuntrally), his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/harryhuntmotorsport) and his website (www.harryhuntmotorsport.com).
 
 


Rachel Cavers-  photo IRC