M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRCs are ready to tackle the gravel stages of Rally Italia Sardegna – Sébastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Teemu Suninen all eager to shine at next week’s island event.
With five days of testing on location, the team are well prepared for the challenges ahead and keen to showcase the power and performance of the top-specification Fiesta.
Having won the event last year – and coming off the back of a double podium in Portugal – expectations are high and the team are hopeful of challenging for another strong result.
RALLY ITALIA SARDEGNA
PRIME RALLY TERRITORY
Sardinia’s beautiful beaches and luscious landscapes attract visitors in their droves, but the island is also prime rally territory – its rugged mountains, ancient forests and unspoilt rural terrain providing some of the year’s most demanding stages.
Lined with car-breaking obstacles, these stages leave no room for error. Fast and narrow, they demand precision driving and note calling from the drivers and co-drivers who must maintain their focus in temperatures as high as 30C.
More than a third of this year’s route is new – countless sections within each of the demanding speed tests offering a different challenge to last year’s encounter.
But the service park remains a familiar affair, hosted by the coastal town of Alghero. The town hosts the ceremonial start as well as the podium ceremony, and its idyllic cafes and mouth-watering selection of Italian gelateria are a must for teams and spectators alike.
MALCOLM WILSON
TEAM PRINCIPAL
With the season break just around the corner, Team Principal Malcolm Wilson is keen to see his team realise their potential at Rally Italia Sardegna. The Cumbrian squad normally hope to taste champagne at the end of the rally, but in Sardinia they’ll be hoping to sample the Azure waters of the Costa Smeralda – the winning team diving into the crystal clear waters in celebration.
Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“Rally Italia Sardegna is an event that our team always looks forward to. It’s a beautiful island that is picture-perfect for rallying, and its rural terrain offers some of the most challenging and demanding stages on the calendar. Having won this event last year, the Fiesta is a proven contender and we’ll be aiming to challenge for the top results once again next week.
“Sébastien will certainly be keen to add to his tally of impressive performances at this event. Having won here three times, he knows what it takes to deliver and he’ll certainly be pushing for a strong result. He won’t have to open the road this year and I’m sure he’ll make the most of that, but there’ll still be a lot of drivers benefitting from a cleaner road behind.
“Two of those drivers are Elfyn and Teemu – who proved in Portugal that they’re ready and capable of challenging for the top results. Both could secure another podium next week, and their recent performance provided a big boost for the team – with added motivation for both championships as the season continues.
“All three drivers are capable of securing strong results next week and I’m eager to see what they can do. The competition will be extremely strong, but I think we have the potential to deliver a good team result all round.”