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Having faced a steep learning curve on the first two rounds of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge 2WD Cup, rising rally star Harry Hunt is ready to tackle the latest addition to the calendar, the world-famous Tour de Corse.

Driving his bright green 210bhp turbocharged Citroen DS3 R3, Harry will charge through Corsica’s demanding twists and turns over narrow mountain passes that have made the island rally one of the toughest on the international calendar.

To ensure he’s fully prepared for the challenge ahead, Harry enlisted the support of official factory Citroen test driver and IRC podium finisher Thierry Neuville during a pre-event test in Italy on Saturday.

Like Harry, Neuville is regarded as one of the sport’s brightest prospects, and the Belgian’s input could prove significant as Harry chases his first podium finish of the 2011 IRC 2WD Cup season.

“We used two roads in Poggialto, very near to the Colle San Bartolomeo, and chose them due to their similarity to the roads in Corsica which we will compete on this week” explained Harry’s team manager Iwan Evans. “We had some tuition from Thierry Neuville, who is the factory driver for Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg in the IRC and also one of the official test drivers for Citroen Racing. We made some significant improvements in our braking technique, and also experimented with some set-up options for Tour de Corse.”

With Corsica marking unchartered territory for 22-year-old Harry and his co-driver Robbie Durant, Evans said that the session had improved Harry’s confidence ahead of this week’s rally, which runs from May 12-14.  

“We have never competed in Corsica before, but we’re a little more confident now after a productive day of testing,” said Evans. “We’re now getting much closer to the pace we need to be at, but chasing those last few seconds per kilometer is the most difficult and it’s all down to experience. But if we want to regain our IRC 2WD Cup title then we must accomplish this.”

Harry starts Tour de Corse on the back of a strong run to sixth place on the previous IRC 2WD Cup round in the Canary Islands last month. It followed on from an impressive finish on the demanding Monte Carlo Rally in January.

“I have been on a steep learning curve this year but I’m learning more and more all the time,” said Harry. “Thierry was a big help to me during the test because he’s done a lot of kilometres in the DS3 R3 and has plenty of experience of driving on asphalt, something I still don’t have much of.”

This year’s Tour de Corse starts in the town of Calvi on Thursday 12 May with two stages running along the Calvi Coast in the north of the island. Following an overnight halt in the town, competitors will then head to stages around Corte before they reach Ajaccio for Friday night’s stop. The action concludes around Ajaccio on Saturday. There are 14 stages in total covering a competitive distance of 320.88 kilometres. Eurosport will show six stages live.

Harry’s exploits will be regularly updated through his Twitter feed (twitter.com/HarryHunt) and his Facebook page. For more information on Tour de Corse and the IRC visit www.rally-irc.com.

For more about Harry and to sign up to his mailing list please contact Rebecca Jones on rebecca@mediatica.co.uk or +44 7545 914651.

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