While we have known for sometime that Dani Sordo probably would not return to Citroen, the real question we had to ask ourselves is where IS he going?
The Spanish driver appears to be on the verge of a deal with either Ford or Prodrive MINI. Autosport ran a story this morning that had Prodrive technical director David Lapworth talking about a potential future for Sordo at the team. It does look at this moment anyways that Marcus Gronholm will not be making a return to competition full time this year. No problem for MINI as they have had about 2,000 drivers rumored to be heading there. Ok, so maybe an exaggeration, but many people have been linked to the drive. Sordo presents an interesting pick as he is still young. That is one of the things people fail to remember (including me) when dealing with Sordo. He is a younger driver that already has four years experience in THE best car. While it seems like a home run for sure, Sordo is currently waiting on a deal from Ford before committing.
Speaking of which, Sordo has firmly left the door open for the Cumbria based Ford squad. While an offer does exist from MINI, something Sordo has desired is a car that will run the full championship. That is something that only Ford or Citroen can offer at this time. My opinion is that Ford can benefit from having Sordo run in a Stobart car. We are still waiting on Matthew Wilson to finalize a deal but Ford needs tarmac talent. They need a car that can be competitive on all surfaces and that is something they have not had in the past couple seasons. While it is true that we have not seen the Fiesta WRC on tarmac, it is no secret that Jari-Matti and Mikko are gravel specialists. With the stages turning to mixed surfaces and at least four rallies containing some level of tarmac, Sordo would fit in at Ford and be a welcome addition in my mind.
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Saw the Rally Mini in the newest issue of ‘Racer’. Looks pretty stout for a four door. I’m sure it is priced way too high.
Please, please, PLEASE let Sordo choose MINI. I don’t want that chump driving one of my Fords given the way he stunk it up in the C4 this year.
Looks like he is tired of waiting. Autosport is rather confident he will be going to Mini