Sordo’s confidence grows for Germany

Dani Sordo and the Prodrive WRC team have completed a successful two day test in the Mosel Valley this week ahead of Rally Germany and are increasingly confident that they can challenge at the head of the field for the Trier-based event in three weeks.

The Prodrive WRC Team will now compete on the final three tarmac rounds of the WRC in Germany, France and Spain. The decision means the MINI team will not travel to Wales for Rally GB, but instead will concentrate on the rallies it believes Sordo has the best chance of success.

The Prodrive team took the initial findings of its UK tarmac test in July and confirmed these in the vineyards of the Mosel on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Dani Sordo having great confidence in the handling and balance of the car.

Sordo said: “The test has gone really, really well. 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 in three weeks. 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.”

Team principal, Dave Wilcock, led the test this week and is confident about the MINI WRC’s tarmac pace. He said: “Last year we had a great test here and Dani went on to third in Germany 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 here than last year. If all goes well let’s see if we can take one or two more steps up the podium.”

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