WRC 2 championship leader Pontus Tidemand will be making his Rally Italia Sardegna debut this weekend. After his success last time out in Turkey, he now enters the penultimate round of the shortened 2020 season, and he’s admitted he’s highly motivated and excited for the new challenge on the Mediterranean island.
Tidemand and co-driver Patrik Barth have had a great season so far in the WRC2 championship with Toksport WRT. They have finished on the podium at each event they’ve competed in, including two class wins and now lead the championship after Rally Turkey, where the duo managed to pass Mads Østberg who didn’t compete last time out.
“It feels fantastic for sure, we’re showing that we want to be here and that we are competitive. But the championship is far from decided. I did the recce here in Sardinia a few years ago but I have never competed here. Maybe that’s a big disadvantage for us compared to our main competitors, but we will do everything in our power to have a good rally and we aim to score points.” Tidemand said ahead of this weekend.
During the break after Rallly Turkey, Tidemand has been testing with Škoda Motorsport in Germany.
He added: “I have barely had time to sit down since we left Turkey and right now that is something very positive. I’ve had quite some time behind the wheel so I’m hoping that I’m still in the rally bubble and that it will make it easier to throw myself into a new event.”
Rally Italia Sardegna starts this weekend with the rally based in the city of Alghero and includes a total of 16 special stages run on the gravel roads. They are fast but narrow and are lined with bushes, trees and rocks which leaves no room for mistakes.
“The roads are not as rocky and rough as in Turkey, but they are far from smooth and you need to drive a bit with your head here too and have a thought through strategy. We also need to get through two loops of stages in the mornings before coming back to service so you don’t want to make a mistake. It will be very challenging and tough but mostly fun and we want nothing more than to get a good result” Tidemand concluded.
