TOYOTA’S MAKINEN DAMPENS RUMOURS OF SORDO SIGNING
Spaniard tipped to be taking the controls of a Yaris, but Tommi is tight-lipped
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team boss Tommi Makinen has played down talks that he could attempt to lure Dani Sordo to his team for 2020.
Makinen spoke positively on a number of occasions about Sordo over the Rally
Germany weekend, with speculation linking the
36-yearold to a deal with Toyota.
Sordo hasn’t completed a full WRC season since 2017, but has had a strong year in 2019 winning his second ever WRC event and has constantly fought for podiums, despite only contesting select events in the Hyundai seat he shares with nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb and Irishman Craig Breen.
Sordo led in Mexico before an electrical issue, then took a fourth and a sixth in Corsica and Argentina respectively. He then retired from the lead in Portugal with fuel pressure issues.
His Sardinia win was then followed with fourth on Rally Germany despite gearbox issues, before he fell to fifth in order to gift his title-challenging teammate Thierry Neuville the extra points for fourth.
When asked if he would be tempted by contesting a full season with Toyota, Sordo said: “Everything [has] its price.” When asked if €10,000,000 was enough, Sordo joked he
would move to live in Finland [where Toyota is based] from his home in Andorra.
Despite contesting four events fewer than Toyota’s Jari-matti Latvala and Kris Meeke, Sordo is just 12 points behind Latvala and 18 behind Meeke.
“We have seen him be very, very good this year where he has been, even though he is not doing the full championship, the full season,” Makinen told MN. “He has been strong. Of course we keep our eyes on what it is. We haven’t thought too much
[about next season].
“If we look at the moment we have three very good drivers, there is nothing, we cannot complain too much.”
While Sordo’s consistent point-scoring ability is undoubtedly an attraction, the Spaniard is known to be reluctant to commit to a 14-round programme. Talking to MN earlier this season, he said he would happily sign for more of the same in terms of the sort of seven or eight-round calendar he’s run for the last two years.