Andersson set for WRC return

Per-Gunnar (P-G) Andersson is celebrating a new deal to drive a Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car on six rounds of this year’s World Rally Championship.

The Swede, 33, and his co-driver Emil Axelsson will drive for the AT Rally Team, co-founded by the Ukrainian driver Alexey Tamrazov.

Their first WRC rally will be Rally d’Italia Sardegna in June. They will also tackle the rounds in Finland, Germany, France, Spain and the season finale in Great Britain.

P-G was Junior World Rally Champion with Suzuki in 2007 and was one of the manufacturer’s works team drivers when it ran the SX4 World Rally Car in 2008.

His most recent WRC appearance was on the Rally de Portugal, when Tamrazov transferred his own entry in a Fiesta S2000. Andersson won the three opening stages in WRC 2, but hit a rock on the fourth and retired with broken suspension.

"It’s really quite amazing that they give me this chance," said Andersson. "I thought this season was more or less over for me and then Alexey gives me this chance. I feel indescribably happy and grateful!"

To help him get used to the car, Andersson will get a one or two-day test before each rally.

“Alexey wants us to run the car as much as possible and we will probably be running a competition in Estonia too," he added.