At almost fifty years of age, Didier Auriol's passion for rallying remains quite strong and he has no intention of taking off his racing helmet any time soon. The 1994 World Champion is now looking at securing his participation in a handful of Intercontinental Rally Challenge events.

For the time being, Auriol has confirmed a drive for Rally Portugal in May, second round of the IRC season. The Frenchman will be at the controls of a Fiat Grande Punto Super 2000, with Denis Giraudet taking on the co-driver duties.

For the remainder of his programme, Auriol has entered into negotiations with the aim of lining up three more events: Rally Russia, the Principe de Asturias in Spain, and the Sanremo Rally in Italy.

"It is not 100% confirmed," Auriol said in a recent interview with Motorsport News regarding his eventual schedule, "but I have been talking to a sponsor and I have a good feeling it will happen."

While considering his chances for a good result, the former World Champion admitted: "I have no idea how I will compare with the young drivers who have lots of experience in Super 2000s."

"But I am only driving for fun although of course I will try my best," Auriol pointed out.