P-WRC: Flodin set for Jordan comeback

In circumstances which mirror the S-WRC competition in the Jordan Rally, the main battle in the Production category features the return of a Swedish wild card winner from an earlier round who has since signed up for the full season.

Patrik Flodin was one of the sensations of the 2010 season opener in Sweden, winning the Production category in his Subaru Impreza by more that one minute to take an early lead in the standings. Since then, Flodin has agreed a deal with the Russian Uspensky Rally Team to build on his excellent start and turn his one-off appearance into a serious title bid.

In Jordan, Flodin will go head to head with defending P-WRC champion, and winner of the last round in Mexico, Armindo Araujo, who has since upgraded his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX for an Evo X.

Third in the championship standings, Norwegian driver Anders Grondal submitted an entry for Jordan in the hope of swapping it for one of his nominated rounds later in the season. However he later withdrew his Jordan entry after he was refused permission to switch.

Another non starter is Italian Subaru driver Gianluca Linari who, for logistical reasons, was granted special permission by the FIA to tackle Rally GB instead of Jordan.

Jordan marks the season debut for several drivers in this year’s P-WRC, including Nicholai Georgiou of Lebanon who finished 16th overall, and second in Group N in the 2008 Jordan Rally.

Cypriot Subaru Impreza driver Spyros Pavlides gets his season underway in Jordan, as does Wang Rui, who will drive a Subaru Impreza for the Shanghai FCACA Rally Team - the first Chinese team to embark on a World Championship programme.

The Production regulars will be joined by Subaru Impreza driver Amjad Farah, a multiple Jordan National Rally champion who has been granted a wild card entry by the event’s organisers, Jordan Motorsport.