Villagra excited by home supporters

Federico Villagra says competing in front of his home fans will give him an extra boost on Rally Argentina, which gets underway at 17:00hrs local time.

The 40-year-old from Argentina is making his debut in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and is relishing the opportunity to put on a show for his local supporters.

“The crowd pushes and everybody wants me to win here,” said Villagra. “For sure winning is what I race for so I want to win everywhere, not just in Argentina. The fans here are really special; you don’t see people like this on a rally anywhere else in the world. They make you push harder.”

Despite his home advantage, the M-Sport Ford Fiesta Super 2000 driver is anticipating a tough battle when the event begins later today.

“For sure I am very happy to be racing here in Argentina but I know it’s going to be a really difficult and tough rally,” said Villagra. “We are in a new car that we don’t have much experience of and there are some really good drivers coming from the IRC who have raced here before and know the roads.

“The roads will be difficult in some places because of the rain and we have to take care of our tyres. Everybody will be going quickly so we will need to go as fast as we can.”