Harry Hunt prepares for championship title fight on IRC comeback 24.09.2012: Mabanol Sliven Rally: Event Preview Britain’s Harry Hunt is gunning for his third consecutive podium finish in the

Mabanol Sliven Rally: Event Preview
 


Britain’s Harry Hunt is gunning for his third consecutive podium finish in the competitive two-wheel-drive category when he contests Sliven Rally, the 11th round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, next week (28-30 September).
 

Piloting a Citroen DS3 R3, Harry and co-driver Robbie Durant will take to Bulgaria’s blisteringly quick asphalt roads with the aim of extending their lead in the IRC 2WD Cup. Following two successive IRC podium finishes, Harry is looking to add a class victory to his string of successful results this season.
 

“I competed in Bulgaria when it was a round of the World Rally Championship  in 2010 so I have a rough idea of what we can expect next week,” explained 24-year-old Harry. “I haven’t been able to find out much information about next week’s stages but from what I’ve heard, they are fast and in good condition. I’ve also been told that the roads are very wide and double-width in some places.”
 

Famed for its tricky and unique asphalt surface, Rally Sliven is a new addition to the IRC calendar for 2012 and will mark the fifth time that the all-action series has visited Eastern Europe this season. A regular fixture in its native country, this year’s Rally Sliven is due to run for the 32nd time as part of the Bulgarian Rally Championship.
 

Harry currently leads the IRC 2WD Cup but after electing to skip the two previous rounds in Zlin and Yalta, the Londoner’s championship lead has been slashed to only one point over fellow 2WD competitor Robert Consani. But a defiant Harry says he will not rest on his laurels: “I won’t give up without a fight,” explained the young driver.
 

“It will be interesting between myself and Robert [Consani],” Harry continued. “I’ve had to miss the last couple of IRC rounds so the championship has become really close since my last event in Romania. Robert’s Renault Megane [RS] is well suited to asphalt but I’m looking forward to a close battle next week.”
 

A successful pre-event test has also boosted Harry’s confidence ahead of next week: “We had a test in nothern Italy on Friday, which went very well. We tried to find a good asphalt set-up and it’s been good to get some extra seat-time in the Citroen.”
 

Harry’s team manager, Iwan Evans, commented: “Despite the roads in Sliven being quite wide and smooth in some places, we understand that the grip level is quite low which calls for a specific set-up for the car to work at its best. We found a good test road in Italy which replicates the nature of roads we’ll see in Bulgaria next week, and after a full day’s driving, and some fine tuning, we are now confident with the set-ups we have.”
 

A ceremonial start on the evening of Friday 28 September will signal the beginning of next week’s Rally Sliven before the IRC crews battle it out over 13 stages totaling 197 competitive kilometres.
 


 
 Rachel Cavers -  also photo