Hänninen not targeting IRC title defence

Juho Hänninen says he is not expecting to chase back-to-back Intercontinental Rally Challenge titles this season.

The Škoda Motorsport driver moved to the top of the IRC drivers’ standings with victory on the second round of the series, Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés, earlier this month.

However, his next scheduled IRC appearance is not due to be until Barum Czech Rally Zlín at the end of August, making a title defence highly unlikely.

“It’s nice to be leading this championship because it is not my main target this season but we will see what the future brings,” said the 29-year-old. “There are some nice rallies coming and I would like to be in Corsica [venue for round three of the IRC] but it’s quite close to Sardinia where I have another rally”

Despite clinching his first win on asphalt on Gran Canaria, Hänninen said there was room for improvement on sealed-surface events.

“I still have something to learn with the lines and how I look after the tyres, I’m a little bit too aggressive. Step by step I’m improving,” he added.

Škoda Motorsport is due to announce its driver line-up for Tour de Corse-E.Leclerc in the coming weeks.