Sardinia test to boost Portugal’s Magalhães

Bruno Magalhães’ bid for a strong result on Rally d’Italia-Sardegna will be boosted by a pre-event test on the island next Tuesday.

The Peugeot Sport Portugal ace has scored points on all four rounds of this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge and will be aiming to extend that sequence to five on the Olbia-based event, which runs from 4-6 June.

“I need to test to improve and this test in Sardinia will be good and necessary,” said the 29-year-old three-time Portuguese champion. “I have not driven on gravel since Argentina in March so it will be good to drive on gravel again so close to the rally. In Argentina we found when the surface had rocks and bumps and was hard our set-up was not so good so this is something we will try to improve.”

Magalhães is embarking on his first full season in the IRC at the wheel of a Peugeot 207 Super 2000. He is currently fifth in the drivers’ standings.

He will prepare for Rally d’Italia-Sardegna by visiting Rally de Portugal, his home round of the World Rally Championship, which takes place in Faro from 27-30 May. He took part on the event in 2008 when it counted as a round of the IRC and was challenging for a podium finish only for a puncture to cause him to go off the road.

“I go there just to watch the cars because I like to see this rally in my country,” said Magalhães. “I would like to be doing the rally myself but it is impossible because Sardinia is so close and we only have one car we can use.”