Sandell Finishes 8th In His First Rally Sweden In A MINI

Beyond The Red Line reports that Swedish driver Patrick Sandell came in 8th at Rally Sweden 2012 in his MINI WRC JCW and was the highest placing local driver. Dani Sordo retired on Friday when, in fifth place, he lost a water pump drive belt that caused his engine to overheat with damage that precluded him from continuing.

Sandell said,

“It’s been a fantastic experience and to finish in eighth on my debut in a World Rally Car with so many great drivers ahead me is a very good result. The balance of the MINI WRC has been really good and it is so easy to drive fast. Over the weekend my speed has been coming more and more and I hope next time out in a WRC to be in the top five and after that to aim for a podium. The way the Prodrive team has supported me has been fantastic and I have learnt so much from them. Without their support I don’t think I would have improved so much during the weekend.”