Sordo, driving a Hyundai i20 N Rally2, has spent the first half of the year chasing Meeke’s tail lights – and that appeared to be the case again as the Portuguese series continued with the Castelo Branco Rally.
However, the Cantabrian driver ultimately claimed victory after dramatic developments. The win was the first of the season in Portugal for both Sordo and Hyundai.
Initially, Meeke was declared the winner with a margin of 14.5 seconds, but the Northern Irishman was later handed a 15-second penalty for taking the wrong route. As a result, Sordo was promoted to first place by just half a second.
The tarmac rally proved to be a closely fought battle between the former WRC stars. After Friday’s four stages, Sordo led Meeke by only 0.3 seconds. On Saturday, Meeke – driving Toyota’s Rally2 car – set six fastest times compared to Sordo’s two, but the time penalty proved decisive.
Sordo’s victory wasn’t confirmed until Sunday morning, as Meeke was still being celebrated as the winner on Saturday night in Castelo Branco.
“Yesterday we celebrated Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera’s excellent second place, but today we woke up to an unexpected turn of events. Several drivers received time penalties due to route errors, which led to a revision of the results – and now our pairing of Sordo and Carrera are officially the rally winners,” Hyundai Portugal stated on social media.
Despite the events in Castelo Branco, Meeke still leads the Portuguese rally championship. He has three wins to his name, while Sordo has just one. Three more rounds remain in the Portuguese series, with the season set to continue in Madeira at the turn of July and August.
