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The newest recruit to Team Tuthill Porsche, Patrik Sandell, has won the 2014 Midnight Sun Rally in a nail-biting conclusion to the three-day Swedish summer classic.
Starting the final day in third position, more than forty seconds behind leader and former rally winner Kenneth Bäcklund, Sandell and co-driver Mattias Lönn set a series of blistering stage times to take victory by just six seconds after three days of flat-out rallying.
Debut 911 Drive
The 2014 Midnight Sun Rally was Patrik Sandell’s first-ever rally in a Porsche 911 and the drivers were competing without pace notes. Local knowledge played a key part on the first two days, but day three was run over less familiar stages. Sandell’s emerging confidence in the Porsche’s ability made the difference.
“I had a fantastic weekend with Team Tuthill,” said Patrik. “The car was awesome to drive: I don’t think people truly understand the speed you can get from a historic rally Porsche. The car has given me a great feeling all weekend, the team has been professional through the entire rally and we have really worked together to get this win.”
“On his debut event in a Porsche 911, Patrik showed all the skill becoming of his 2006 Junior World Championship title to set stunning stage times across the three days,” said delighted Tuthill Porsche team boss, Richard Tuthill. “Staying calm when our rivals fought back on a tough second day, Patrik shared detailed technical feedback, which allowed us to fine tune the setup.
“Patrik and Mattias blended speed and control into a supreme demonstration of the pace of our cars. We are extremely proud of them both and delighted to win this historic European event.”
Second Tuthill Porsche Win
Sandell’s win in Sweden is the second victory for Tuthill’s 3-litre Porsche 911 platform this summer. Howard Redhouse took a similar car from the Tuthill Porsche “Below Zero” ice driving fleet to victory in the recent Mini Tour Britannia.
Tuthill Porsche has a number of 3-litre Porsche 911s available for arrive-and-drive hire on the full Tour Britannia this August. Contact Richard Tuthill on 01295 750 514 for more information.
Photos courtesy of Midnattssolsrallyt/Fotogubben SE.
