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S-WRC: Wales Rally GB: Red Bull final leg summary

Sandell and Red Bull clinch WRC S2000 Cup! The Red Bull Rally Team has won the 2010 FIA WRC Cup for Super 2000 teams, after a great performance from Patrik Sandell on the final round of the World Rally Championship in Britain. Red Bull was the ...

Sandell and Red Bull clinch WRC S2000 Cup!

The Red Bull Rally Team has won the 2010 FIA WRC Cup for Super 2000 teams, after a great performance from Patrik Sandell on the final round of the World Rally Championship in Britain.

Red Bull was the first of six teams that entered the inaugural Super 2000 World Rally Championship this year, with Sandell finishing third in the class on Rally Great Britain. The Swede has also ended up second in the final drivers' rankings, at the wheel of his Skoda Fabia S2000 run by the experienced Baumschlager Rally Racing team.

Sandell, the 2006 Junior World Rally Champion, put in a heroic drive on the final round of the Super 2000 Championship, which saw him compete in Sweden, Jordan, New Zealand, Finland, Germany, France and Britain this year, claiming victories in Germany and France.

The 28-year-old was among the frontrunners once more in Great Britain, on the cold and damp gravel stages of Wales. But after winning a stage on the opening morning of the rally, Sandell was hit by a power steering pump problem, traced to a broken pipe, which cost him five minutes over the course of Friday afternoon and the chance to win the rally.

Sandell fought back brilliantly over the nine stages of day two, climbing back to fifth from a starting position of eighth despite tricky conditions with inconsistent grip. On the final day, Sandell stepped his pace up another gear, taking another place on the opening stage and then winning the following stage to home in on the third-placed competitor in a tense finale.

Sandell stormed the final two stages to end up third in the S2000 category at the end of the rally, but without the problem on the opening day he would have been in strong contention for the class victory. "I'm very happy with our rally and this result; it's a great honour for me to clinch the FIA WRC S2000 Cup for Red Bull," he said. "Although our season didn't get off to the best of starts, it all came together and we were very competitive with two victories and some more podiums as well. I love Rally Great Britain but it was particularly tricky this year, with the weather making the surfaces really slippery and unpredictable. I'd like to thank Red Bull for giving me this chance, and also the BRR team for doing a great job throughout the season."

BRR team principal Raimund Baumschlager, who competes on the Austrian Rally Championship in a Super 2000 Skoda with Red Bull backing, commented: "I'd like to congratulate Patrik, his co-driver Emil Axelsson, and Red Bull for a great season and a great rally. This was a tricky event for Patrik but he never once gave up and the result is a well-deserved victory for Red Bull in the FIA WRC Cup for Super 2000 Teams, as well as an excellent podium for Patrik."

-source: red bull

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