After winning three WRC 2 Championship Group N Cup events in a row in Monte Carlo, México and Portugal, Italian driver Max Rendina is taking to the stages again this weekend in Argentina. Flanked by countryman Mario Pizzuti and run by three times Production car World Champions Ralliart Italy, Rendina has all the tools at his disposal to put in a good showing on the Cordoba-based event.

Rendina was pleased to get off to a good start, by topping the Group N Cup field on the opening 6.04 kilometre Super Special Stage this evening, especially with rival Juan Carlos Alonso competing on home soil. However, he recognises the unique challenge presented by Rally Argentina. With 405.10 kilometres of competitive stages in total, including the 51.88 kilometre Ascochinga / Agua De Oro test tackled twice on tomorrow’s itinerary, it’s no mean feat simply to complete such a difficult event.

Rendina tested on Monday to ensure his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X had a set-up he felt comfortable with in both dry and damp conditions and immediately recognised the complexity of the job ahead of him: “I’ve never seen stages like these before. Having tested on Monday and done recce since then, I realise that nothing can really prepare me for this event until I start taking on the stages in anger. The surface is so rough and rocky that I feel like there could be a surprise for me in any – or every – corner. I feel quite confident in my pace notes, but we made them with our usual average speed in mind. If the terrain is worn down and rutted by the time we pass through the stages, we may need to slow down considerably!”

Saturday’s itinerary offers water splashes on a scale Rendina has never encountered before and while iconic, the El Condor stage on Sunday, which doubles here as the Power Stage, has taken many a prisoner in the past. Focused on protecting his tyres ready for these challenges, Rendina only did two laps on Shakedown to get a feel of his Mitsubishi. Despite the challenge ahead of him, Rendina finds the Argentinean fans and their endless passion for rally inspiring and hopes to put in a good performance for them this weekend: “It isn’t going to be an easy event. I’m going to take each stage one at a time and focus on getting to the end of the rally safely. Even Day Two of recce was long and tiring so I can only imagine how tough the rally itself will be!”