Autosportfoto

Rally Argentina: Ostberg out to sustain early championship pace

Mads Ostberg says after producing his best start to a World Rally Championship campaign he is keen for it to continue in Argentina where he's enjoyed solid results in recent seasons.

The M-Sport Ford driver enjoyed a late promotion on to the rostrum in Mexico after Hyundai's Dani Sordo was handed a time penalty for a tyre infringement, meaning Ostberg has claimed a fourth and two thirds in the opening three rounds of the 2016 WRC season.

As a result, the Norwegian's bright form has seen him become the closest challenger to runaway leader Sebastien Ogier, albeit 35 points behind, and he is keen to maintain his momentum in Argentina after a seven-week break from WRC.

After setting the pace in the opening round of the FIA European Rally Championship before retiring, Ostberg, along with team-mate Eric Camilli, has enjoyed a two-day test at M-Sport's facilities in Greystoke forest in preparation for Argentina.

"Sometimes it can be nice to recharge the batteries, but now I cannot wait to get back behind the wheel in competition," Ostberg said. "Rally Argentina has a real variation of stages. There are some incredibly fast, sandy roads but there are also some twistier, more technical sections and it's important to have the right set-up for each type of stage. I was really pleased with the set-up of the Fiesta in Mexico, so hopefully we can build on that this week."

Ostberg has strong form at the South American event having claimed a second career rostrum last year with second place behind Kris Meeke and is targeting another podium result to maintain his championship position.

"We've had a string of strong results over the opening three events and I want to continue that," he said. "At the same time however, I always want to be challenging for the top positions. We have more speed to give and we want to show that in Argentina."

Zdroj: crash.net