London-based rally driver Harry Hunt took to the roads of the Azores – the opening round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge – with a striking new livery on his Citroen DS3 R3T.
Harry and co-driver Robbie Durant have chosen the same lime green base colour that adorned last year’s car but have added a fresh eBoy theme to create a unique new livery.
The duo were leading the two-wheel drive category of the Sata Rallye Acores until the second day, when they went off on a slippery downhill right-hand corner, on wet gravel. Although the impact was a minimal, a plug on the radiator snapped off, which meant that Harry had to switch off the engine to prevent further damage.
“It was a real pity because up to that point we were leading and on course for maximum points,” said Harry, the winner of the 2010 IRC 2WD Cup. “The nature of the gravel here means that the grip is constantly changing and we were just caught out. We switched off the engine, as the temperatures were rising beyond safe levels, so that we could be sure of re-starting the final day under the super rally rules. Although the regulations for this event meant that we couldn’t score points for super rally, it was a really good experience.”
Harry and Robbie won three out of five stages on the final day, underlining the rally-winning potential of the crew. Prior to the off on the second day, they had won a further two stages.
On this occasion, Harry wasn’t able to add to the list of class wins that also took him to the FIA two-wheel drive Production Car title last year. But the lime green eBoy livery and the commitment of its driver turned plenty of heads in the Azores.
“We really like the eBoy design because it is something totally different,” said 23-year-old Harry. “We chose the lime green initally because we liked the colour but we’re sitcking with it because we feel it’s associated with our team now. The eBoy cartoon on the side panels are playful but have a serious element – we want to let people know we’re there to win, hence the Game On slogan that we’ve used alongside. We’ll be back now on the next event in the Canary Islands determined to put this setback behind us and return to our winning ways.”
The Rally Islas Canarias, round two of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, takes place on asphalt from March 15-17.
People at home can keep up with Harry’s exploits in Azores through his regularly-updated Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/harryhuntrally), his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/harryhuntmotorsport) and his website (www.harryhuntmotorsport.com).
Similar Posts:
