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Rally Argentina: Sordo focuses after Mexico penalty

Dani Sordo is targeting his first rostrum of the year after being denied third place last time out at Mexico due to a tyre infringement and is relishing the challenge of Rally Argentina.

The Spaniard had initially grabbed the final step on the rostrum in Mexico seven weeks ago but was handed a time penalty for using one too many tyres of the allocation which dropped him to fourth behind M-Sport Ford's Mads Ostberg.

Looking ahead to the South American event Sordo believes because of the testing road conditions it will put a lot of intensity and demand on the new Hyundai i20 WRC machine.

"The stages are enjoyable but there are a lot of stones in the road so it can be difficult for the car," Sordo said. "In that sense, I think it is one of the hardest rallies in the Championship for the cars, but the New Generation i20 WRC has been performing well so I have confidence in it.

"There will be some changes in my approach from Mexico to Argentina, as the roads are completely different - in Argentina the roads are much softer and not as abrasive on the tyres. I will be looking to improve on my position from last year by driving consistently and hope to achieve my first podium of 2016."

Having claimed consecutive points finishes in the opening three rounds Sordo sits fourth in the WRC drivers' standings and top Hyundai driver despite missing the rostrum while his fellow Hyundai team-mate Thierry Neuville and Hayden Paddon have clinched podiums in Monte-Carlo and Sweden respectively.

"Rally Argentina is a fantastic rally," he said. "One that I like very much because of the stages, the atmosphere and of course the event itself. I also like it for its location in South America - it's always good to go back there."

Zdroj: crash.net