Rally Italia Sardegna continues to offer twists and turns. The latest in chronological order certainly cannot please Hyundai Motorsport, much less Dani Sordo.
The Spanish driver was forced to retire after completing Special Stage 17, Sardinia 1 of 7.79 kilometres, due to an exhaust failure on his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 which he shares with his co-driver, Candido Carrera.
The team, after an evaluation made together with Sordo, decided to withdraw the car due to a potential fire hazard that could have occurred if Sordo had continued the rally.
The Korean team formalized the withdrawal from the Rally Italia Sardegna of the native of Torrelavega with a brief press release.
“Unfortunately Dani Sordo and Candido Carrera have to retire from Rally Italia Sardegna after Special Stage 17 due to exhaust failure and fire risk.”
Sordo therefore stops when there are just 2 special stages left at the end of the Sardinian event, i.e. the repetition of this morning’s two stages: the Arzachena – Braniatogghiu of 15.22 kilometers and Sardinia, which will also act as a Power Stage.
Dani was in fifth place, although 7’22” behind the leader, teammate Thierry Neuville. His weekend had already been undermined on Friday by an accident on the morning lap, on PS4, in which he finished off the road and then overturned destroying the rear wing, the bonnet and cracking the windshield.
With Sordo’s retirement, all the riders who followed him gain one position. Now WRC2 leader Adrien Fourmaux at the wheel of the only M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 in the race has moved up to fifth place. This means that the Rally1 cars that did not retire this weekend are just 4: the Hyundais of Thierry Neuville and Esapekka Lappi and the Toyotas of Kalle Rovanpera and Elfyn Evans.
Read also:
