Rally Italy: PG Andersson wants cautious finish on WRC return
PG Andersson insists his focus is firmly on the finish of Rally Italy as the Swede returns to World Rally Car competition
The former factory Suzuki WRC driver, a two-time Junior WRC champion, has not had a top-class car for two seasons, driving mainly for Proton in S2000 competition.
He returns to the sport's highest level in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC for the remaining European rounds of the series and completed a 75-mile test in the car ahead of the Sardinia event, which starts on Friday.
"This will be a tough rally, really tough," said Andersson. "It's narrow and really tricky. For me, the big thing is that I am back in the car.
"I like this rally, but I have to think in the bigger perspective - I have been out of the car for two years, so it would be surprising if I was showing top times straight away.
"I would think a realistic finish, if everybody stays in, then maybe somewhere around eighth at the finish.
"Obviously, we have a disadvantage with the place we are running on the road. I would like to have been maybe one place higher, but the qualifying stage was difficult and I didn't want to make a mistake."
The Fiesta RS WRC Andersson is driving belongs to privateer Alex Tamrazov, but is a slightly older specification that the current M-Sport cars.
Andersson was the first driver to lead a WRC round in a 1.6-litre World Rally Car, when he headed Rally Sweden from the start in 2011.
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