Patrik Sandell has a strong chance of becoming the two-time World Champion who nobody has ever heard of. And bizarre as it may sound, that situation suits him quite well.
The Red Bull-backed Swede won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2006, and then moved onto four-wheel drive machinery. Since then he’s won several rallies in the Super 2000 category – just one rung below the WRC elite – and now he is one of three people who have the chance to win the S2000 title on this weekend’s Rally Great Britain.
But he needs a bit of luck on his side. Sandell is nine points behind the leader, with 25 points available for a win and 18 for second place. In fact, points are awarded all the way down to 10th this year. So a lot depends on how everyone else does during this tense title showdown, with all the drivers standing a reasonably similar chance. They’re all young and they’re all determined to be the next massive stars of the sport.
Here’s the Red Bull youngster’s five golden rules to winning the feeder championships – and making it big in WRC:
1. Never give up. “There were lots of times this year when I knew that things weren’t going my way, but if I had given up then, there is no way that I would have a chance of winning the championship now.”
2. Don’t worry about the maths. “You can make all sorts of mental calculations like ‘If I finish seventh and he finishes eighth then I will be five points ahead and I will win the championship’ – but things have a habit of not turning out as you expect them to. So don’t get too bogged down in calculations. Just drive.”
GEPA Pictures/Red Bull Photofiles
3. Put your name about. “As a junior driver, it’s so important to get your name about so that people know who you are. The PR and the marketing is really important: more so for us than the top guys in the WRC. Luckily I’m with Red Bull, and this is an area where they are really strong.”
4. Do the recce well. “The cars and the drivers are actually quite evenly matched at this level so you need to take every advantage that you can get. The recce is a fantastic opportunity to make better pace notes than anybody else. So even though the recce is not part of the competition, you need to concentrate really hard.”
5. Accept that winning isn’t everything. “Of course you want to win, but winning isn’t always everything: it’s how you drive and your mental attitude that counts. If people see that you are attacking and you are an interesting person, then you stand a chance of being picked up by a team and making it in the WRC.”
So there you have it – five steps to becoming a two-time champion. To find out if they work, come back to redbull.com on Sunday once the rally is all over!
Want more?
- Find out more about Patrik at his official website
- Check out our dedicated event page to keep track of his championship challenge
- For more motor sport news, click here
GEPA Pictures/Red Bull Photofiles
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