23/09/2009
Dani Sordo: “The RallyRACC is a very special race for me”

Dani Sordo. RallyRACC 2008

Extremely involved in this final stage of the season in order to help Citroën in the quest of the manufacturers' title, and his team mate Sébastien Loeb to clinch the drivers’ title, the Spanish RACC driver Dani Sordo arrives at the Spanish WRC round WRC with the biggest ambition. The RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España, is something very special for the driver, born in the Spanish region of Cantabria, since he will be racing at home with the support of his people.

What do you think about the RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA?
There are several aspects that I like of the RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, such as the roads, the atmosphere, the fans. It has a special taste for me, because it is the rally of my home country, regardless of the fact that there might be some other types of asphalt that I might prefer, but this is home and I spend the year looking forward to this race.

Do you feel a lot of pressure, and could it affect you concentration?
There is pressure, but it is a rewarding pressure, since I have an outstanding debt with the fans. I know that many people are coming to see me, expecting me to win. I will try to do it, but good fans should know how difficult it is to finish in the lead.

Which are your expectations, considering that you have finished the last three editions in second position?
I obviously would like to improve the second position, but right now, the drivers’ world championship is quite complicated for Citroën. Loeb's situation isn’t easy and I’m here to help him.

What memories do you keep from previous RallyRACC participations?
Always good feelings. It is a rally in which I became J-WRC champion and it was also my first race in the world championship. There are usually good things happening here, like the first time I led the race with a WRCar in 2006.

What is more important, helping Sébastien Loeb or helping Citroën?
Well, both things. I think that if we both finish in a good position we will be able to have the manufacturers’ championship settled. But we will also have to collaborate to help Loeb arrive in Great Britain with options.

Have you done any testing for the RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA or are you going to make any major change in the Citroën C4 WRC?
We are going to test one week before the rally, but there is virtually no margin for improvement in the car. It has already evolved as much as possible for asphalt.

Jari-Matti Latvala has had several test days on asphalt, are you afraid that he may improve a lot?
I guess that they will be able to draw some important conclusions, but there is no doubt that we will have to be very fast to win against the two Ford, although we have always been in the front at the RallyRACC, so it should not be different this time.

Does the Citroën C4 have something that makes it more efficient on asphalt than the Ford Focus?
I don’t think there is a big difference between both makes; I actually think that Ford is as good as Citroën. The difference is in the drivers. Both Loeb and I are better on asphalt and we are a bit faster than Hirvonen and Latvala; this is the key to the advantage we may have over them. However, we will have to be very careful with Hirvonen, because he is starting to improve a lot on asphalt.

Do you know that your victory might serve to bring rallying back to the main sports pages in the Spanish media?
I don’t think it would be exactly like that. I believe that a single victory would not draw the attention of the media. The key is to win more often, not even three or four times, it would have to become a routine.