Most liked posts in thread: WRC: MINI Driver Profiles

Steve · Oct 11, 2011

MINI WRC Team driver Dani Sordo in profile. (MINI Motorsport Press Release)

Daniel â€œDaniâ€ Sordo has been a big name in the FIA World Rally Championship for years. The 28-year-old Spaniard is undisputedly one of the top drivers in the field. An impressive 30 podium finishes in the WRC and 102 special stage wins speak for themselves. â€œDani has been competing at the very highest level for the last five years,â€ says David Richards, Chairman of Prodrive, heaping praise on the 2005 Junior World Rally champion.

And yet the experienced Sordo will be entering uncharted waters in 2011: new team, new car, new crew, and new co-driver. Sordo has been behind the wheel for CitroÃ«n for half a decade. He now lines up alongside co-driver Carlos del Barrio for the new MINI WRC Team, which is aiming to replicate the brandâ€™s huge success of the past. Richards says: â€œI believe with the new MINI John Cooper Works WRC and in the right environment, he can now take the next step and add to his 29 podiums with victories on WRC events and become a challenger for a WRC title.â€ Sordo is also more than confident: â€œTo be part of this new team is a fantastic opportunity for me. Iâ€™m sure MINI has a big future in the sport, and Iâ€™m looking forward to working with Kris Meeke.â€

Sordo, together with Meeke, completed a two-day test in Sardinia in November 2010 and was immediately impressed by the new MINI Rally Car. â€œThe first impression was excellent,â€ confirmed Sordo after the first outings. The cooperation with Meeke also immediately worked very well. Since his first drive for the MINI WRC Team, Sordo has been applying his experience and has played a large role in the rapid development of the new car. His excellent performances over the past years have contributed significantly to CitroÃ«n winning the Manufacturersâ€™ Championship three times in succession.

Sordo began his career in motocross when he was 12 years old, achieving success also in hillclimbing, karting and touring cars. He first drove in a WRC event at the Rally Catalunya, the Spanish round of the series, in 2003 in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII, finishing 18th overall. He won the Spanish Junior Rally Championship that year, and retained the title in 2004, while gaining further international experience at WRC rounds in Argentina, France and Spain.

After clinching the Junior World Rally Championship title in 2005, Sordo then joined the Kronos Total CitroÃ«n World Rally Team in 2006 when he was first paired with Loeb. Sordo finished the 2006 season with four podium places, 49 points and fifth overall in the Driversâ€™ Championship. He has driven for the CitroÃ«n Total World Rally Team since 2007, and while in the WRC has achieved a total of 17 second place finishes, taking the third step of the podium 12 times. In 2007, Sordo finished fourth in the WRC Driversâ€™ Championship, was placed third in the standings in 2008 and 2009 and finished the 2010 season fifth overall.

By finishing third in only the third appearance of the MINI WRC Team in Germany, Sordo once again gave proof of his amazing talent. And thereâ€™s much more to comeâ€¦

Facts and figures Dani Sordo.
Born: 2nd May 1983/Torrelavega, Cantabria (ES)
Nationality: Spanish
Residence: Puente San Miguel, Cantabria (ES)
Marital status: Single
Co-driver: Carlos del Barrio (ES)

Career highlights.
2003 Spanish Junior Rally Champion
2004 FIA P-WRC outings (Group N Mitsubishi Lancer)
2004 Spanish Junior Rally Champion
2005 FIA J-WRC Champion (CitroÃ«n C2) and Spanish Champion
2006 World Rally Car debut (Kronos CitroÃ«n)
2006 5th place FIA WRC Drivers' Championship, 4 podiums
2007 4th place FIA WRC Drivers' Championship (CitroÃ«n), 7 podiums
2008 3rd place, FIA WRC Drivers' Championship (CitroÃ«n), 6 podiums
2009 3rd place FIA WRC Drivers' Championship (CitroÃ«n), 7 podiums
2010 5th place FIA WRC Driversâ€™ Championship (CitroÃ«n), five podiums

FIA WRC statistics.
First WRC rally: 2003, Rally Catalunya
WRC starts: 87
Podium places: 30
Stage wins: 102
Total points: 416
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