The Intercontinental Rally Challenge returns this weekend for the Rali Vinho Madeira, with both Kris Meeke and Burcu Çetinkaya in contention on the Portuguese island.
Madeira offers a largely all-asphalt rally, similar to the Rally Islas Canarias – where Meeke was unlucky to lose first place due to a broken wheel rim. The narrow, tight and twisty stages – 21 over almost 300km – also ensure a close race, with just 3.5 seconds separating the top two finishers last year.
Defending IRC champion Meeke got his title bid back on track last month in the Azores with a second-place finish. And, he is predicting another close battle with fellow Peugeot 207 Super 2000 driver Bruno Magalhães, who claimed his maiden IRC victory last time out.
“We know Peugeot are very strong on asphalt and we have a very good history on asphalt so we have to get the full potential out of the car in Madeira,” said Meeke. “But Bruno will be incredibly fast there – his speed there is incredible so it will be a big fight in Madeira.”
The Northern Irish driver has enjoyed a successful test between rallies, as his engineers were able to rectify the suspension set-up problem that hindered his challenge in the Canary Islands. He also has experience of racing on the island, having finished fifth in Madeira last year.
One driver who is just happy to be lining up on the Portuguese island is Burcu Çetinkaya, who suffered a huge crash on the Geko Ypres Rally in June. And the Turkish driver admitted it may take a few stages before she is fully confident behind the wheel of her Peugeot Sport Turkey 207 S2000.
“It is not a question of courage but it was a mistake in the pacenotes I wrote that caused the accident in Ypres so it will take a bit of time to get the confidence back again,” said Çetinkaya.
This will be Burcu’s first time competing in Madeira and therefore she’s turned to compatriot Volkan Ișik – a former regular on the European Rally Championship – for a few pointers.
“He is a good friend so gave me some good advice,” said Çetinkaya. “But I am not here to win this rally. I am here to learn for when we come back in the future but also to get our confidence back after Ypres.”
The event in Madeira also marks the second time the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy will be presented to the driver who best embodies the spirit of the rallying legend on rounds of the IRC this season.
Comments
Add a comment