Finn driver Juho Hanninen, who won the latest IRC round in Russia by leading from start to finish, is hoping to compete on more Intercontinental Rally Challenge rounds this year after having enjoyed his very first taste of Super 2000 machinery.

Hanninen's full-time programme is the Production Car World Rally Championship in a Group N Mitsubishi, and he also has previous experience of driving a World Rally Car. Russia was Hanninen's second IRC event, as he finished fifth in Portugal driving a Group N Mitsubishi.

"If we can find some budget, I will definitely be back," said Hanninen, who was formerly Finnish Junior Rally Champion. "Most of our budget is already committed for this year, but I'll be looking for some extra things so that we can try to do some more IRC rounds."

"It's a good series, at a very high level, and there are many interesting things for the future," he added.

Despite the apparent ease of his victory, Hanninen admitted that he initially struggled to get to grips with his Super 2000 Peugeot 207 S2000.

"It's a very different car to drive compared to what I have been used to," he shared. "With a Group N or World Rally Car, you have plenty of torque available that you can use to get you out of trouble if you need it. On these cars, there is no room for mistakes as the power is all at the top end. You have to be very precise and think carefully about what you are doing."

"This is very good training for any driver," Hanninen concluded.