After several successful season in the World Championships Patrik Sandell will now take the step to Intercontinental Rally Challenge. At his side is new co-driver Staffan Parmander and backing him is Skoda Sweden in the biggest effort a Swedish importer has made in many years.
Sandell became the Junior World Champion in 2006 and placed second last year in the Super 2000 class competing for the Red Bull Rally Team. This year the 28-year-old Skoda driver has chosen to leave WRC and together with Skoda Sweden he’s making a big commitment in the IRC with active support from the factory in the Czech Republic.
“When we started planning the season, adding all the factors, we soon realised that the IRC was the ideal solution for us this year,” said Sandell. “Mainly since the competition in the Super 2000 class is becoming much tougher there than in SWRC in 2011.”
One of the drivers Sandell and Parmander will have to face is Swede P-G. Andersson, with Sandell’s former co-driver Emil Axelsson in the right-hand seat. The starting field also holds names such as Andreas Mikkelsen, Guy Wilks, Freddy Loix and Han Kopecky. At the first round of the season in Monte Carlo last month around 40 drivers competed.
“If we were to stay in WRC there would be only a handful of drivers competing for the title. Here it feels like ten to fifteen drivers can win every race,” says Patrik Sandell.
But it’s not only the tough competition that attracts Sandell, it’s also the chance to sink his teeth into new and to him unknown rallies.
“I’ve done the Finnish WRC rally five times,” he said. “It’s a really great rally but I honestly don’t know if it’s very developing as a driver to do it a sixth time. I think this challenge will give me more in the long run.”
The step from SRWC also means that the Swedes no longer compete for Red Bull Racing Team, even though Red Bull stays on as a sponsor. Instead they will race for Czech JM Racing, one of the teams Skoda Motorsport works with.
Having Skoda Motorsport in the Czech Republic onboard as an active partner means a good dose of basic safety in a material sport like Rally. The Swedes will race a Skoda Fabia S2000 Evo 2, with the latest specs guaranteed.
Henrik Svensson, Press Manager of Skoda Sweden: “Skoda celebrates 110 years in motorsports this year so there’s a long tradition and lots of experience behind this venture. It will be very exciting to follow Patrik and Staffan this season and if they succeed this year the future could be very interesting.”
For the Swedes the IRC season will start with Tour de Corse in May but already next week they will start in the Swedish Rally, taking place in Värmland 10-13 February.