Sordo eyes manufacturers' points on Japan debut.

Kronos Citroen's Daniel Sordo will make his debut on the Rally Japan this coming weekend, the eleventh round in the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship.

Sordo has never competed on the event before and as such his main aim is to gain experience of the stages and above all make sure he gets his Xsara WRC car to the finish to pick up as many points as possible in the constructors' championship for the Belgian-based squad.

"I know nothing at all about Rally Japan," noted the Spaniard in the countdown to the latest event on the WRC calendar. "I've seen some pictures of the rally and from I've been told the stages are quite fast and narrow. There is lots of gravel and some grass which hide the sides of the roads - a very special rally, which isn't easy, apparently.

"Like in Sweden and Mexico, I need to discover everything. I will have to work a lot in reconnaissance and have the right feeling. I will start on a cautious pace with the objective to improve my performance on the second passage. Above all, I will focus on scoring manufacturers' points for the team."

Sordo has been sensational thus far this season - and currently lies third in the drivers' championship having notched up 41 points. His last outing though did not go to plan and he crashed out on the second day on the Rally Finland, the first time this year he has not completed a whole event.

"It's never very nice to go off the road," he continued, when asked about his mistake in Finland. "I am still so sorry that I broke the car. Sorry for the Kronos team and also for scoring no points. I think I paid for my lack of experience on that terrain. My pace wasn't too high and I think I wasn't on the right line before taking on that right corner's crest - a tiny bit too sideways. The fact that I saw the first name of Toni Gardemeister written on the rock didn't really cheer me up. I just learnt that this corner had also caused other 'offs', even for Finns."

Despite his error though, it wasn't all bad and the fact he was lying fifth overall prior to going out was something: "I was quite pleased before I went off. For a first time in Finland with a World Rally Car, my pace-notes were accurate and I had a good feeling. I find my speed was correct and some of our times weren't bad. I enjoyed driving that fast and also thanks to various incidents I was in fifth position something I would have never imagined before. The other positive thing is that after our accident, all the Kronos team gave us their entire support and it was very important for me," he concluded.