Belgian rally star Freddy Loix has undertaken his first test of the Super2000 Grande Punto Abarth that he will use for the remaining European rounds of the IRC, starting with the Rali Vinho da Madeira next week. Loix tested the car for around 120 kilometres on asphalt near Imperia, in northern Italy.

Loix made his IRC debut in a Volkswagen Polo S2000 in Ypres last month, but inherited Pieter Tsjoen's programme (and his co-driver) when Tsjoen announced his retirement after the event. "The Punto is very different to the Volkswagen, but they are both good in different ways," said Loix. "Obviously the Punto has had a lot more development than the Polo, as it is a proper factory car, but I can see now that the job we did in developing the Polo was really not bad at all. I like the Punto as well: it is very stable and predictable to drive."

“It's something that has been on my mind for quite a while,” explained Tsjoen about his decision to retire. “I have many other commitments and I felt that it was not fair to my co-driver and my team if I did not have the same level of commitment as they all have. So for these reasons, I thought it was best to stop now and Ypres was my last rally.” Tsjoen lost the chance of grabbing a podium slot on his final rally in Belgium when he went off. “That had nothing to do with my decision,” added the former Belgian rally champion. “I had already made up my mind some time ago that Ypres would be my last rally.”
 

Loix's IRC programme with the ex-Tsjoen car this year will take in the Rali Vinho da Madeira, and then three others: Barum, Sanremo and Valais. He will also continue to drive the Volkswagen Polo S2000 machine in the Belgian Championship. The Grande Punto test in Italy turned out to be a steep learning curve for the Belgian: as not only did he have a new car, but he also had a new co-driver, Eddy Chevaillier. In order to get used to making pace notes together, Loix and Chevaillier have been practising on old Ypres stages in Belgium.

Madeira will be a brand-new event for the experienced Loix, but he has his sights firmly set on a podium finish. "It won't be easy with a new car, new rally and new co-driver but I'm hoping that everything will come together," said Loix. "There are bound to be some quick locals, and of course the regular IRC competitors are all very fast as well. The roads in Madeira look nice, so if I can get onto the podium, it would be a fantastic start. I think this year will be a very nice challenge for me." Like most of the crews, Loix and Chevaillier will fly out to Madeira on Sunday to start the reconnaissance of the route. The rally gets underway on Thursday 2 August.