Sordo faces Spanish armada

ByEurosport

Published 23/03/2006 at 05:31 GMT

Reigning Junior WRC champion Daniel Sordo looks set to give up the defence of his crown in order to prolong his stunning debut in the WRC championship. The Spaniard was set to return to the junior category on the Catalunya Rally but has decided to continu

2005 Greece Citroen Sordo

Image credit: From Official Website

Daniel Sordo has become what Dani Pedrosa is to MotoGP fans – a real Spanish hope with a lot of pressure to overcome.

Both competitors will be making their World Championship debut in front of home fans this weekend with Pedrosa, the reigning 250cc champion, preparing for his MotoGP christening at Jerez, while Sordo, the protégé of two-time WRC champion Carlos Sainz, will get his first experience of an asphalt rally in Catalunya.

Sordo, like Pedrosa, has a wise head on young shoulders and after impeccable outings in Monte Carlo and Sweden before finishing fourth in Mexico, the 22-year must now show his true worth by overcoming the pressure of competing in front of his home fans and on a surface on which he should excel.

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2005 Spain Citroen Sordo

Image credit: From Official Website

“It's clear that competing in Spain will add a bit of pressure,” he accepts. “The spectators and the media all hope we can make a good result and of course we think about it a lot.

“Everybody thinks I am a ‘tarmac specialist' but as I am a rookie I haven't got a favourite terrain,” he adds. “It went rather well in Mexico but however I still have to improve a lot before reaching the level of Seb (Loeb) or other drivers like Marcus (Gronholm) or Petter (Solberg).

“I think I would be happy if I could finish in fourth like in Mexico,” he admits. “Here the competition will be tough with Seb, Xevi, Marcus Mikko, Petter and others…”

One man watching his every move will be El Matador, Carlo Sainz. The former Citroen driver has had a big influence in getting Sordo into a WRC car this season and has been proud of the way his young apprentice has performed so far.

“I'm satisfied with what he has shown since the start of the year,” he says. “In Catalunya, I believe he will be able to increase the pace because he will drive at home. I still find he needs more time to learn and obtain the confidence to drive at very high speed.

“I think he can start at a normal pace and increase it if everything goes well,” he adds. “But for me, the secret is to drive steadily.”