Monday, September 26, 2011

Basso finishes 10th for Proton in IRC San Remo Rally

Some late news about the San Remo Rally, which concluded on Sunday – Proton finished 10th when Giandomenico Basso reversed his misfortunes on the first day and made the most of his home rally advantage and knowledge to secure final championship point in round nine of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC).

Fighting from 13th, after conceding 8th position when an intercom failure forced him off the road and losing more than five minutes, Basso pushed on – not even an alternator problem on the final day could deny the Italian as he powered the Satria Neo S2000 past Swiss Peugeot driver Grégoire Hotz on the very last special stage of the rally.

The result represents a big leap forward in the development of the Satria Neo S2000, which finished 18th in its debut at San Remo last year. Frenchman Thierry Neuville won the 53rd running of the rally in a Peugeot 207 S2000 ahead of Skoda’s Andreas Mikkelsen.

“We had a fantastic drive on the second and final day with a lot of catching up to do. Despite the early and many setbacks faced, overall, it has been a very rewarding rally for both Proton and I personally. The results have certainly proven the car has grown even more competitive over the short span of one year. We believe the Satria Neo S2000 has every bit the potential of fighting for victories in the IRC,” said a delighted Basso, who last won the San Remo Rally in 2008.

Chris Atkinson’s rally, meanwhile, had come to an early end. with an electrical problem putting paid to his rally on the opening special stage. The challenging San Remo asphalt had also taken its toll on Peugeot’s Guy Wilks, who retired on the same stage after hitting a bridge.

© 2011 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 27 Sep 11 05:49:08 +0000.

Related posts:

  1. Proton at the IRC San Remo Rally – Chris Atkinson returns
  2. P-G finishes treacherous Ypres Rally in 19th, Basso falls
  3. Proton wins the 2011 Malaysian Rally – Chris Atkinson takes top honours in the APRC, Alister McRae finishes third
  4. Proton R3 Rally Team achieve commendable results at IRC San Remo


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