Asphalt ace Dani Sordo aims to use next week’s Rallye Deutschland (17 – 20 august) as a launch pad for a strong run to the end of the WRC season.
Sordo has not finished on the podium since May’s Rally de Portugal following troubled runs in Italy and Finland.
A return to the Spaniard’s favoured asphalt should suit the Hyundai Motorsport driver as he eyes a strong end to the campaign to boost the Korean squad’s title bid in the manufacturers’ series.
“We’ve had some highs and lows in recent events, so I’m aiming to build up some consistent and competitive results in the coming rounds. I’m in a positive frame of mind and ready to hunt down another German podium,” he said.
Sordo has an enviable record in Germany. He scored his only WRC win there in 2013 and has stood on the podium seven times. Only once has he failed to finish in 12 starts.
His knowledge of the unique stages will give him an advantage, but with rain forecast throughout the event he may not enjoy the consistent grip on which he thrives.
“Germany is a nice event with some tricky roads. The wider 2017-specification WRC cars will be a challenge on some of the narrower vineyard roads, and we’ll also have an eye on the weather,” added Sordo, who was third at the last asphalt encounter in Corsica in April.
After a disappointing team performance at the previous round in Finland, principal Michel Nandan is targeting a reprise of last year’s double podium in Germany.
“We don’t automatically assume we will be able to repeat that sort of performance, especially with the competition in this year’s championship, but that’s certainly our aim,” he said.
source: wrc.com