DANI SORDO HOPES TO END HIS 2018 WRC CAMPAIGN WITH A HOME ROUND HIGH AT RALLYRACC CATALUNYA – RALLY DE ESPAÑA (25-28 OCTOBER).Sordo, who hails from Torrelavega in Northern Spain, will be on home ground for his seventh and final WRC appearance of 2018 and is targeting his third podium of the year at the wheel of Hyundai’s i20.Returning to the Korean squad for the first time since ADAC Rallye Deutschland in August, Sordo will be one of the favourites on the championship’s Spanish counter – where he has been a podium finisher on seven occasions.
“Rally de España is one of the most special events of the whole year for me. Nothing can replace the feeling we get when competing on home soil and in front of such passionate supporters. It makes for a tremendous atmosphere,” he said.
This year’s itinerary features an opening day on gravel before two days on asphalt, and with Sordo’s last experience of gravel competition at May’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal, the 35-year-old expects it will take time to get up to speed.
Once the action switches to asphalt, Sordo will have the benefit of technical updates introduced since a luckless outing in Germany, which ended in retirement with a holed radiator.
“It’s been a long time since Portugal, so it will be a tough start even with a beneficial road position,” he explained. “We know the i20 is strong on loose surfaces, while we also have some evolutions for asphalt, so I hope we can perform stronger than in Germany.”
A strong result from Sordo could prove crucial to Hyundai as it seeks to reclaim top spot in the manufacturers’ championship. The team currently trails Toyota Gazoo Racing by 20 points with two events remaining.