9/1/09

Red Bull confirms Skoda P-WRC programme for Sandell

Swede Patrik Sandell has secured a P-WRC programme in 2009 driving a factory supported Skoda Fabia Super 2000 for the Red Bull Rallye Team.

Sandell takes over driving duties at the team from Austrian Andreas Aigner, who won the 2008 P-WRC title in a Red Bull Rallye Mitsubishi Lancer.

Fourth in last year’s series driving a Super 2000 spec Peugeot, Sandell, 26, will be partnered in 2009 by his long time co-driver Emil Axelsson, 25. The pair will tackle all eight rounds of the P-WRC starting with February’s Rally Norway.

Sandell said: “It’s really a great honour for me to be able to drive for the Red Bull Rallye Team. I would love to repay their huge trust in me with the world championship title. After last year’s results I think that my goal can only be the title.”

The team will be run from Austria by BRR, the rally preparation firm owned by multiple Austrian rally champion Raimund Baumschlager, the man who has carried out much of the development testing of Skoda’s new car.

Baumschlager confirmed that his team’s objective this year was a succesful defence of the P-WRC title.

“I’m glad to have one of the best drivers in our team with Patrik,” said Baumschlager. “For me there’s no doubt that he’s world champion material, that’s why our common goal can only be to defend the title for the Red Bull Rallye Team. I was able to form a very precise opinion about Patrik in 2008. Rarely have I seen a young driver work so hard on his career!

“His will, for example to find sponsors, even in hard times, impressed me. We expect the same ambition and effort during preparation for the rallies and of course in the competition as well,” he added.

The news comes three weeks after Andreas Aigner and the Red Bull Rallye team put their partnership on hold. On 19 December the team said that despite winning the 2008 title, economic conditions had reduced the prospect of a factory drive for Aigner, and another season in the P-WRC was unlikely to help his cause.

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