Good tactical driving gave Mads Østberg and co-driver Jonas Andersson third place in Rally Argentina after Dani Sordo dropped out mere kilometres from the finish.
The duo came to Argentina hoping for a top four result – which they had within their grasp after the first full day of competition. With over a four minute advantage to the next car, Adapta World Rally Team decided to use the rest of Rally Argentina as preparation for next month’s Acropolis Rally. A strategy both Østberg Jr. and team manager Morten Østberg were satisfied with.
“Mads [Østberg] has done a really good job here which is something we’re obviously happy with. He pushed hard when he needed to and held back when it was necessary,” said Østberg Snr. “To hold back is not an easy job as a rally driver – you want to push all the time!”
The gap between Sordo and Østberg held steady throughout most of the rally. Østberg and Andersson drove safe and made sure that the fourth place was secured. But four kilometres before the finish line, Sordo had to drop out because of a technical issue with his factory Ford Fiesta RS WRC which gifted Østberg yet another podium.
”I’m very pleased with the rally. We’ve done a good job and gained a lot of good experience ahead of Greece,” said Østberg Jr. “Because of what happened to Dani [Sordo] I can’t really enjoy this podium as much as I would like to, but it shows that a rally isn’t over until we cross the finish line. This is such a great result for us.”
The Scandinavian duo have been on the podium on three of the past four WRC events. “We have a great team with very good mechanics that always make sure that the car is in the best possible shape,” commented Østberg Snr. “If it wasn’t for them, these podiums wouldn’t be realised.”