WRC2 leader Rossel switches focus to gravel

The Frenchman tops the table after a perfect start to the year, winning WRC2 at both the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo and last month’s Croatia Rally. Now though, he and the PH Sport team running his Citroën C3 Rally2 turn their attentions to the dirt.

Beyond the Matosinhos-based fixture, Rossel has revealed plans to register for WRC2 points in Italy, Greece and at the Central Europe Rally.

“The team worked really hard on the car after Monte-Carlo,” Rossel said. “They did a very good job. The power from the car is better, we made a good improvement. I’m really happy for the position we’re in now, but it’s still just two rallies – we have a long way to go and a lot of rallies still to come.

“Now we’re looking at the gravel. We test before Portugal and let’s see what the car is like. In Croatia, it was good, but it wasn’t always easy to drive, when the mud was coming, it didn’t feel the same.”

Rossel leads WRC2 by nine points from Emil Lindholm. While he will continue to push for wins, he says the podium would be a solid target.

“I think if you can keep finishing in the top-three places, then you can be in a good position,” he said. “But of course, I am playing for the wins!”