Caminos del Inca 2007
For immediate release
Saturday, May 5th, 2007
FINNISH RALLY LEGEND JUHA KANKKUNEN SET TO TACKLE CAMINOS DEL INCA 2007
Multiple WRC champion to be reunited with former co-driver Juha Repo;
Mexican and Dominican Republic teams enter September’s Peruvian classic
LIMA (Per?): The Autom?vil Club Peruano (ACP) have confirmed that Finnish rally legend Juha Kankkunen and co-driver Juha Repo will tackle September’s Rally Caminos del Inca in a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII. The punishing 10-day event begins in Lima on Friday, September 14th and finishes in the Peruvian capital on Sunday, September 23rd.
Kankkunen and Repo will join Team Cataneo for the 37th running of the Gran Premio Nacional de Carreteras (Caminos del Inca), which permits the use of trucks, station wagons, buggies, vintage cars and FIA N2, N3 and N4 vehicles. There is also an Open Masters class and an Open 4WD section.
Kankkunen won 23 WRC rallies in an illustrious career which saw him clinch no less than four world titles in 1986, 1987, 1991 and 1993, initially with the Peugeot and Lancia factory teams and, latterly, with Lancia Abarth and Toyota Team Europe. The 48-year-old Finn won his first two WRC rallies in Africa in 1985, by clinching victories in both the Safari and Ivory Coast rallies.
He has always relished a sense of adventure and is looking forward to tackling the Peruvian event, with the co-driver with whom he won WRC rallies in Argentina and Finland towards the end of his regular WRC career in 1999.
Kankkunen also made a name for himself in the world of cross-country rallying and is a former winner of the gruelling Dakar Rally with Peugeot Talbot Sport. In recent years he has tackled select events around the globe and was a member of the Volkswagen cross-country team a few years ago.
~It is a major boost to have sealed the entry of Juha Kankkunen and Juha Repo so far in advance of the start of the event,~ confirmed Promotions Director Henry Bradley. ~We have had enquiries from competitors around the world and are also delighted to announce that three drivers from the Dominican Republic and one from Mexico have already entered as well.~
Renowned factory rally drivers have a glittering record on the legendary Caminos del Inca, which takes place on Per?’s closed public roads with the backdrop of the stunning Andes mountain range. Back in 1969, Tony Fall visited the event in a works Ford Escort and emerged victorious. One year later the great Finn Hannu Mikkola entered and retired early on, although he did win the coveted London-Mexico Rally the same year in a Ford Escort. Both used the respected Swede Gunnar Palm as their co-driver.
In 1995, the former Audi and British Leyland factory driver John Buffum raced an Audi Coupe S2, but the American lost a potential victory when he was excluded for running his Audi with an oversized turbo restrictor. Kankkunen will be hoping to follow Tony Fall on to the list of previous winners.
The event is being held with the full support of the FIA and the Federati?n Peruana de Automovilismo Deporttivo (FEPAD). In a total route of 2,722.90km, the organisers anticipate that 2,289.50km will be competitive, with a mere 433.40km taking place on non-competitive liaison sections.
Entries are now open for this year’s event from the Automovil Club Peruano, Av. Canaval y Moreyra 671, San Isidro, Lima 27, Per?, Tel: + 511 224 3222 and + 511 225 5283, Fax: + 511 224 1405, E-mail: acpperu.com.pe
Foreign entrants will receive a generous incentive package, including ocean freight for competition vehicles, air tickets for the driver and co-driver and accommodation during the event.
For further information about foreign entries for the 2007 Caminos del Inca, contact Henry Bradley, Promotions Director, Tel: + 1 770 844 1740, mobile: + 1 404 502 0990, E-mail: bracoracing@aol.com or hbradley@rallyworldmagazine.com
For further media information:
Susan Bradley (E-mail: sbradley@rallyworldmagazine.com) or Angela Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, NCH Building, Upper Bar, Newport, Shropshire TF10 7EH, United Kingdom, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: NDPPublicity@compuserve.com, www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).