Defending Portuguese rally champion Meeke defeated Sordo by more than half a minute in the season-opening Rally Serras de Fafe, securing an early advantage over his main rival.
The event was run in challenging conditions, which Meeke managed far better than Sordo. Early in the rally, Meeke’s main challenger was Latvian driver Martiņs Sesks, who was forced to retire due to a power steering failure.
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Last year, Sordo proved in the top class of the WRC that he is still a formidable force at the highest level, competing with Hyundai’s Rally1 machinery. However, in the Portuguese rally series, he drives Hyundai’s Rally2 car, which was no match for Meeke’s pace in Fafe.
Meeke competed in a Hyundai last year but switched to Toyota’s Rally2 car for this season.
“The Toyota is tough to compete against. After all, Kris Meeke is a very fast driver, and the car is very efficient,” Sordo stated bluntly, according to Portuguese AutoSport.pt.
According to Sordo, his car lacked grip during the rally. The Spanish star hopes to be more competitive against his Northern Irish rival in the upcoming rounds.
“Kris is in a strong position in the championship. His car is competitive and up-to-date, but we are working to improve our own car,” Sordo noted.
Hyundai’s Rally2 car is not considered as competitive as Toyota’s equivalent. As Sordo pointed out, there is still room for improvement.
“There are still things to work on, new things to test. We’ll see. We need to work on the car, update it a little, and it will be more competitive,” Sordo explained.
Meeke and Sordo are no strangers to battling for a championship. Exactly 20 years ago, both drivers competed in the junior category of the WRC – back then, Sordo claimed the JWRC title while Meeke finished third.
Now, 20 years later, Sordo has no intention of being left behind.
“This will be a good battle. I think we’re going to have some great fights, and we’ll try to fight for the championship as much as possible.”
The next round of the Portuguese rally series will take place at the end of March in the Algarve region.
