Sordo to pilot third WRC Hyundai in Sardinia

The team had been yet to announce its plans beyond Portugal for the third car since Craig Breen’s passing, until today’s announcement that Sordo will now add Sardinia (1-4 June) to his programme.

It is unclear who will pilot the car in the remaining seven events on the calendar.

The South Korean squad will return to fielding three cars at next week’s Rally Portugal, an event which Sordo had already been confirmed to contest before the death of team-mate Breen, whom he had been sharing the i20 N with this year.

Hyundai fielded only two entries for full-time drivers Thierry Neuville and Esapekka Lappi at last month’s round in Croatia. Both cars carried a special livery to honour the 33-year-old Breen, who lost his life in a testing crash in preparation for the asphalt event.

It is highly likely Sordo would have featured in Hyundai’s Sardinia plans regardless, given two of his three career WRC wins have arrived on the Italian gravel stages in 2019 and 2020.

Sordo will now join eight-time world rally champion and 2021 Sardinia winner Sebastien Ogier at the event following Toyota’s confirmation that the Frenchman, who is contesting a partial campaign, will be part of its roster at the rally.

This year will be the 20th running of the rally. This year’s event include a new mammoth 49.90km Monte Lerno stage to provide an extra challenge.

Hyundai has this week been conducting its pre-event test for next week’s round in Portugal, which marks the fifth round of the championship.

The gravel rally featured as part of Sordo’s 2022 programme with the team, which resulted in the 40-year-old finishing third behind eventual winner Kalle Rovanpera and his Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans.

The 2023 championship is finely poised heading into Portugal with Evans and Ogier tied for the championship lead, with Rovanpera a point further back. M-Sport’s Ott Tanak is four points adrift while Neuville is 11 points in arrears in fifth.