SORDO COULD GO IT ALONE FOR SPAIN
Hometown hero looks at running his own car in his domestic round
Dani Sordo has admitted he is prepared to hire a car for this year’s Catalunya Rally if he’s not selected to drive as part of Hyundai’s three-car entry.
Hyundai team director
Andrea Adamo is focusing his attention on Rally Germany later this month, but a home outing in October is closer to the forefront of Sordo’s mind.
Hyundai revealed last week that Thierry Neuville, Andreas Mikkelsen and Sordo will line up in the trio of i20 Coupe WRCS, but there is no news on the Rally Spain line-up yet. The event takes place on October 24-27.
The Salou-based event was won last year by Sebastien Loeb following a sensational final-day run in Citroen’s C3 WRC. The Frenchman has always been strong in Tarragona and, while he would be on over time with Spain being a seventh event in a six-rally contract, it would be hard to ignore the nine-time champion.
Mikkelsen is also a former winner in Salou. All of this is causing recent Rally
Italy winner Sordo some significant concern.
Sordo told MN: “I would really like to do Spain. If I don’t do it with this car then I rent a car! I will be really sad if I don’t do Spain.”
Sordo has finished runner-up on his home event four times. Much as he’d like to win in Tarragona, however, he says a Portugal victory would mean even more.
“I would like to win there,” Sordo told Motorsport News, “but Portugal could be even better. There is so much passion with the people in Portugal.
“When you see how much they love the rally, it’s the people, the police, it’s so nice. Catalunya is nice, but Portugal is really special.
“I think we have the speed, we have what we need to win in Portugal.”