IRC: Dani Sordo competing in Corsica in a MINI S2000

Steve · May 12, 2012

The experience of Sordo (MINI/Michelin) pays in Corsica (best-of-rallylive.com)

by Chris | 12/05/2012 19:56

Dani Sordoâ€™s world-class talent showed today as he cruised to victory on the Tour de Corse today. The MINI/Michelin driver emerged in front on Day 2 and controlled his lead to claim an assertive win. A determined performance from Jan Kopecky (+17.9s) on the last day provided Skoda/Michelin with second place, while local hero Pierre Campana (+32.4s) was the best-placed Peugeot/Michelin representative at this eveningâ€™s finish ceremony in Bastia.

Dani Sordo has bounced back from the disappointment of losing his â€˜factoryâ€™ drive with MINI in the World Rally Championship to produce a winning performance in Corsica today. It came just two weeks after another strong run with Ford WRT in Argentina (WRC). His display in South America nearly harvested a podium finish but he was cruelly eliminated by a technical problem on the eventâ€™s very last stage.

There was no such frustration in Corsica, however, where his first outing in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) was rewarded with a victory that probably looked easier than it was. The Spaniard emerged at the top of the leaderboard when early pace-setter Andreas Mikkelsen (Skoda/Michelin) fell back on the afternoon of Day 2. The threat of Fordâ€™s Giandomencio Basso was short-lived, too, and Sordoâ€™s consistency did the rest, despite his lack of knowledge of the second- and third-day stages. It was both his and MINIâ€™s first major international success.

Contrary to what we reported earlier this week, MINI is not eligible to score IRC Manufacturersâ€™ points, since its plans to register for the series have not yet materialised. Even so, a waiver was granted to permit Sordo to score Driversâ€™ points, although it is currently uncertain whether he will contest any more IRC rounds.

â€œIt was very hard,â€ said the Spaniard at the end of the last stage. â€œI am very happy, because my car was really, really good. It was important to win this rally.â€

Skodaâ€™s Jan Kopecky started the final leg in second place but was passed by Corsicaâ€™s Pierre Campana (Peugeot) after todayâ€™s second stage (SS10). The Czech driver responded instantly, notching up a sequence of four fastest times to take the silver medal. Campana was forced to settle for third spot although he succeeded in building up a sizeable gap over the similar 207 S2000 of 2011 Rallye Monte-Carlo winner, Bryan Bouffier (4th, +53.5s).

â€œItâ€™s a perfect way to finish the rally after the mistake I made this morning,â€ commented Kopecky. â€œItâ€™s been a very positive day.â€

The IRC series leader Andreas Mikkelsen paid a high price for his error on Day 2. The three minutes he dropped on SS5 put him out of contention for victory and fifth overall was the best he could hope for.

Veteran FranÃ§ois Delecour (Renault MÃ©gane RS) overcame a number of problems (intercom, brakes, etc.) to collect Group N victory after his chief rival Manu Guigou (Renault) crashed on SS6.
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Steve · May 12, 2012

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHWeo9yZ-DI]The race - 2012 IRC Tour de Corse - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Justa Jim · May 12, 2012

Great coverage, as always, Steve. I just wish they could get their act together.

Jim

Steve · May 15, 2012

Steve · May 15, 2012

Sordo: The IRC is great but one win will doâ€¦ (MaxRally.com)

15th May 2012

Tour de Corse winner Dani Sordo says the level of competition in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge impressed him - although he joked that he wouldn't be back in the series as he would prefer to sign off with a 100 per cent victory rate.

The Mini driver took the biggest win of his career so far as he triumphed in Corsica on his IRC debut last weekend, dominating the event after problems for early rivals Andreas Mikkelsen and Giandomenicao Basso.

Asked if he would like to return for more IRC action, Sordo replied: â€œFor my position now maybe itâ€™s not good to come back because I have to keep winning now! To be honest it was really good fun. There are lot of drivers who are really fast, especially on Tarmac.

"Mikkelsen is really quick and on a good level, and [Jan] Kopecky and [Pierre] Campana also. I enjoy a lot and these battles are very good for television, itâ€™s good for the spectators and mostly itâ€™s good for the drivers.â€

Sordo reckons one of the IRC's strengths is the relative parity between the frontrunning S2000 machinery. Until Basso and Mikkelsen's incidents, there was little to choose between Mini, Skoda and Ford at the end of the field, and Campana was able to get Peugeot onto the podium.

"There was not a big difference between the cars," said Sordo. "At the beginning Mikkelsen and Basso were very strong and it was a shame the fight did not continue because it was a good fight and I enjoyed it a lot."
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