Abarth encouraged by gravel test

After a disappointing start to the IRC season in Monte Carlo, where the Abarths were generally off the pace compared with the class-leading Peugeots and Skodas, the Italian team are redoubling their efforts in a bid to improve performance.

Giandomenico Basso, Luca Rossetti and Anton Alen all drove on the test, although only Basso and Alen will compete in Brazil. Rossetti will focus on the Italian Rally Championship this year.

Alen - who drove a 2008-specification car in Monte Carlo - was encouraged by the latest evolutions to the car, which include a new gearbox. The young Finn completed around 150 kilometres in Tuscany, and also drove Kimi Raikkonen's Abarth Grande Punto (which the Formula One star used on January's Arctic Rally) for half a day in Finland last week.

"It's been great to be in the car again and get back onto gravel," commented Alen, who was forced to retire from sixth place in Monte Carlo with clutch failure on the final road section.

"It was a very positive test and we had no real problems all day, which is a promising sign for the reliability. The new developments on the car feel nice, so hopefully we will be in a good position for the Curitiba Rally. It's all new to me, so let's just see what happens."

While Brazil is a new experience for both the IRC and Anton, his famous father Markku Alen previously competed in the country exactly 30 years ago - in the first Rally Internacional do Brasil in 1979, driving a Fiat 131 Mirafiori.