Generous Sandell
makes birthday
gesture

Sandell Sr, a former rally driver of note, turned 60 earlier this year and his son, the 2006 Junior world champion, marked the occasion by paying for his father to tackle this weekend's Midnattssolsrallyt, the Midnight Sun Rally, in a Volvo 240.

“We tried to rent an Opel Ascona but it was not easy to come by so it had to be a Volvo,” said Patrik Sandell, who will miss out on watching his father in action due to the fact he’s contesting a clashing rally in China.

Following a test in the car, Anders Sandell said: “The goal is to have fun and for the rally not to be our last.”

Sandell Jr, meanwhile, has contested two rounds of this year’s world championship in a MINI John Cooper Works WRC under the Sweden World Rally Team banner. He finished eighth overall on Rally Sweden but retired on Vodafone Rally de Portugal in early April. Details of his next appearance in the series are unconfirmed.