Sordo confident of Germany charge

Dani Sordo will return to the scene of MINI’s first podium in the FIA World Rally Championship on ADAC Rallye Deutschland later this month confident of more success on the asphalt counter.

Spaniard Sordo finished third overall in Germany last season in a John Cooper Works WRC run by the British Prodrive organisation. He will compete on the Trier-based round in a Prodrive WRC Team-entered MINI alongside regular co-driver Carlos del Barrio from 23-26 August on the back of a successful two-day test in the Mosel Valley earlier this month, which followed a two-day session at Prodrive’s private test track in Warwickshire, United Kingdom in July.

“The test [went] really, really well,” said Sordo, 29. “We have made lots of improvements to the chassis and set-up and I have a really good feeling for the car and am able to push really hard. It has certainly given me a lot of confidence going into the rally. For sure all the other teams will also have improved and we won’t really know where we stand until the first few stages, but I will certainly be looking to go even faster than last year.”

Dave Wilcock, the Prodrive WRC Team principal, added: “Last year we had a great test [in Germany] and Dani went on to third [on the rally] and then nearly won in France. This test has gone just as well and you can tell that Dani is very happy with the car. When he is like that, he is a match for anyone on [Tarmac]. With the enhancements on the car we made in March, we should be faster [in Germany] than last year. If all goes well let’s see if we can take one or two more steps up the podium.”

Prodrive has confirmed it will contest the remaining three asphalt rounds of the WRC in Germany, France and Spain. Its planned entry on Wales Rally GB in September has been cancelled to enable Prodrive to focus on the sealed-surface events.