TEAM BY TEAM
CAR: HYUNDAI i20 COUPE WRC TEAM PRINCIPAL: MICHEL NANDAN
4 HAYDEN PADDON Nationality: New Zealand Age: 30 Co-driver: Seb Marshall Rally GB starts: 7 Best Rally GB finish: 4th (2016) WRC starts: 70 WRC wins: 1 WRC titles: 0 Paddon needs to put a shocking season so far out 5 THIERRY NEUVILLE Nationality: Belgian Age: 29 Co-driver: Nicolas Gilsoul Rally GB starts: 5 Best Rally GB finish: 3rd (2013 and ’16) WRC starts: 82 WRC wins: 5 WRC titles: 0 Ogier’s biggest threat this season. After a couple of years 6 ANDREAS MIKKELSEN Nationality: Norwegian Age: 28 Co-driver: Anders Jaeger Rally GB starts: 7 Best Rally GB finish: 3rd (2015) WRC starts: 85 WRC wins: 3 WRC titles: 0 Only his second event in the Hyundai since he joined the 16 DANI SORDO
Nationality: Spanish Age: 34 Co-driver: Marc Marti Rally GB starts: 9 Best Rally GB finish: 3rd (2008 and 2009) WRC starts: 151 WRC wins: 1 WRC titles: 0 It’s fair to say this isn’t one of Dani’s favourite events. When of his mind and drive. He’s grown up on wet-dry-wet gravel rallies running through the forests and the fact that they’ve been on the other side of the world shouldn’t make too much difference; on paper, the Kiwi should be right on the money for this one, but strangely he’s never managed to get it all hooked up in Wales. How he’d love to this time around.
in the doldrums, he’s got his head around life at Hyundai and has certainly found the i20 Coupe WRC’S sweet spot this year. He’s shown superb speed – and has consistently set the most fastest times all season – but he’s also made mistakes and suffered a real off week in Finland, the last full gravel rally before here. A contender for the win, but needs to be mistake-free.
Korean squad in September. Mikkelsen’s a fast learner and expect him to be in and among the pace of his fellow i20 drivers. Like so many, his chances in Wales will depend heavily on the conditions and his place on the road. He does, however, know the area well, having lived in Ruthin from the age of 17 when he started out in the discipline. He’s since moved to Monaco.
he’s got good grip and firm faith in the car beneath him, he’s a genuine contender for a podium spot on most rallies. In Wales this week, the grip will vary on a metre-by-metre basis and he’ll struggle to dial the car into the set-up to get the best out of the limited traction available. A top six would be a sensible target for the likeable Spaniard.