Autosportfoto

Monte woe for Nandan

Hyundai boss Michel Nandan has vowed his team will make a fresh start to its WRC campaign in Sweden next month after a dismal start to 2018 at Rallye Monte-Carlo.

The South Korean squad props up the manufacturers' standings after all three drivers hit problems in last weekend's gruelling season-opener in the French Alps.

"We have to regroup, put this one behind us and start our 2018 season properly in Sweden in a few weeks' time," said Nandan as he reflected on an underwhelming weekend.

Thierry Neuville was Hyundai's best finisher in fifth, but his rally was ruined after sliding off the road in a crazy opening Sisteron test on Thursday night, dropping four minutes. The Belgian spent the rest of the weekend fighting back up the order.

Andreas Mikkelsen and Dani Sordo promised much when they held second and third after the opening leg.

Mikkelsen retired after damage from an off in Friday morning's opening stage broke his i20's alternator belt and Sordo crashed out of a podium place early on Saturday.

"We can only really look back on this weekend as a rally of disappointment. We wanted to come out fighting in this year's championship by taking a good haul of points in Monte-Carlo, but for various reasons we have to settle for less," said Nandan.

Pre-season he spoke about the need for more consistency in 2018 after slipping away from title contention in both the drivers' and manufacturers' series in the second half of last season, and was clearly frustrated by the Monte-Carlo outcome.

"The season is long, of course, but we know from last year how punishing it can be when we miss opportunities. This is especially true when our rivals are so strong. Monte has never been a particularly kind rally to us, and again we leave here with little to show for our efforts."

Zdroj: wrc.com