Craig Breen starts Rally Islas Canaris this afternoon determined to move on from his Rally Hungary retirement, which cost him a potential first ERC podium of the season earlier this month.
Breen, who is heading up MRF Tyres’ development programme in the FIA European Rally Championship alongside co-driver Paul Nagle, was in second place when his Hyundai i20 R5 suffered engine failure on the final morning.
“Our pace in Hungary was impressive and to get two scratch times shows how much progress we are making with the MRF Tyres,” said the 30-year-old Irishman. “It was unfortunate what happened in Hungary. We need to carry the pace forward and try for a good result in Canarias.”
Breen’s one and only appearance on the Las Palmas-based event was in 2013 during his stint with the Peugeot Rally Academy. He finished second overall with Nagle.
“It’s a nice rally and the conditions will be more consistent than what we’ve seen on the last couple of Tarmac rallies,” Breen explained. “Even if it’s wet it’s still consistent because the grip is so high there. It’s another new environment for us to test and try the tyres.”
Breen can still finish third in the standings but needs to win and land maximum leg bonus points and hope Grégoire Munster non-scores.
Source: eurosport.co.uk