Sandell hopes for better fortune on day two

Patrik Sandell will be hoping the engine problem that hampered his progress on Saturday afternoon’s stages will have been overcome when he restarts day two of Barum Czech Rally Zlín on Sunday morning.

The ŠKODA Sweden driver, who is making his debut on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge event, is 14th overnight.

He explained: “On the first stage after lunch it was sometimes misfiring and then it went onto three cylinders for the last two stages, sometimes back to four cylinders. And then on the last corner the powersteering failed.

“It’s not a problem we have had before and hopefully it can be okay for tomorrow when we plan to step up some steps. Tomorrow’s stages are more easy if you’ve not been here before because they are more honest, more flowing and fast. Hopefully they will fit me better.”

Sandell, who is co-driven by Staffan Parmander, said his failure to fight in the top 10 on Saturday morning was down to his car running a softer set-up.

“We made our test on a really bumpy road so we made the car really, really soft so it could be okay over the bumps,” Sandell explained. “But the roads were not that bumpy and the car was too soft. It was not precise and I didn’t trust it.”