Victory at the first attempt in Italy for Tidemand

Pontus Tidemand’s first WRC rally on the Mediterranean island went like a charm for Pontus Tidemand, who secured his third WRC 2 victory for the season and his very first win at Rally Italia Sardegna. With that, he also strengthens his and his team Toksport WRT’s lead in the overall championship.

Without any previous experience from the Italian WRC event, Pontus Tidemand expected a tough rally with tough competition. It definitely turned out to be a tough rally, but he quickly got a good gap to his competitors. Already on Friday, Pontus had half a minute’s lead and after another trouble free day on Saturday, he had an advantage of a minute ahead of the last stages.

“The hardest part was to give it your maximum capacity when everything is new. But this is a rally that actually suits me and my driving style pretty well, and with a bit more experience it will probably become one of my favourite events, so all we could do was to try to hang in there and keep up with the pace” said Pontus, who is accompanied by Patrik Barth in the co-driver’s seat.

On Sunday, the target was to control the lead and reach the finish, while keeping it steady and not take any unnecessary risks. With a that comfortable lead, Pontus did not have to feel too much pressure but it’s still no easy position to be in when you have the outcome of the rally in your hands.

“You’re always looking forward to a close battle but this time we got to do our own rally and focus on the task of getting the best possible result. To be in that situation is not as easy as you might think – the gap is big enough to not have to drive recklessly fast, but you still have to be quick enough to not lose too much time or concentration, at the same time as you want to avoid any kind of problems that can jeopardize everything” said Pontus.

Also this time he got through the final stages in a calm and collected way until the very last stage, where he gave it a bit of a push to close the door behind him once and for all. He set a fast time and secured his third victory this season together with Toksport WRT. He also strengthens his and the team’s lead in this year’s WRC 2 championship.

“I’m so happy that we actually succeeded at our first rally here, because that was not given from the start. The car has been working perfectly, just like the team in and outside of the car. We’re taking maximum points again and that’s really great for the championship standings. I’m already excited to see how things will unfold over the next events” said a pleased Pontus.