Total uncertainty at the Barum Rallye

Eighth round of the IRC, the Barum Rallye begins this Friday evening with a super special stage in the center of Zlin. More than 50.000 spectators are expected in a city where access is even more congested when the sun is out.

Published on 21/08/2009 à 17:53

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Twenty-five crews are at the start behind the wheel of S2000s. Ten of them, at least, have the ambition to win: Juho Hänninen, Jan Kopecky and Evgeniy Novikov (Skoda Fabia), Luca Rossetti and Giandomenico Basso (Abarth Grande Punto), Kris Meeke, Nicolas Vouilloz, Freddy Loix, Martin Prokop and Roman Kresta (Peugeot 207 S2000).

The weather is decidedly blue, but showers are forecast during the day on Saturday. “ If so, we will be handicapped », affirms Nicolas Vouilloz. “ As everyone dives into the ropes, the tar quickly becomes covered in mud. » Indeed, for an unknown reason, the winner of the 2007 edition of the event and IRC title holder received the number 16.

The Skoda team carried out no less than nine days of testing to develop the Fabia S2000 driven by Jan Kopecky and Juho Hänninen. Obviously, the Czech manufacturer is putting everything in its game to win at home. Current leader of the IRC, Kris Meeke does not hide his desire to increase his lead in the IRC rankings. “ I love the layout of the stages. They remind me of Germany, Belgium and Ireland. » That's promising.

Apart from Nicolas Vouilloz, another Frenchman has an S2000. Bryan Bouffier is at the wheel of the second Proton Satria Neo entered by MEM.