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Spanish fighting talk from Sordo

Dani Sordo has vowed to "come out fighting" this week when the championship reaches his home country for round 11, the Rallyracc Catalunya - Rally de España (13 - 16 october).

The Spaniard will join Thierry Neuville in Hyundai's lead squad for the mixed surface event, and hopes the support of a home crowd will spur him on to another top-three finish to add to his impressive Spanish record.

Sordo, from Torrelavega in Northern Spain, made his championship debut on the Spanish round in 2003 and has since racked up four second places and two thirds.

"It is always a fantastic feeling to go rallying in front of a home crowd, so Rally Spain is definitely a highlight of my season," said Sordo, who is co-driven by Barcelona native, Marc Martí.

"You can really feel the energy from all the supporters who come along. It was also one of my first rallies in the WRC so it is a very special event on a personal level. Of course, the rally is different to anything else we face, with the gravel and Tarmac challenge requiring a different approach."

Sordo is also keen to make amends after disappointment on the championship's previous round in Corsica last month, when a puncture dropped him out of an opening day scrap for second.

"We had a tough weekend in Corsica so I'd like to come back fighting in Spain," he acknowledged. "We finished on the podium in 2015 and there's no reason why we can't target that again in this year's rally. I always want to do my best but maybe just a little bit more when I'm at home."

Sordo joined his Hyundai team-mates at a pre-event test on tarmac in Spain at the end of August and drove the i20 World Rally Car on gravel at a second test last week.

Zdroj: wrc.com