Category: WRC

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Volkswagen WRC

Sebastien Ogier wins 2013 World Rally Championship

Julien Ingrassia and Sebastien Ogier

Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have now officially claimed the 2013 World Rally Championship after finishing third in the Powerstage at the Rally de France-Alsace.

It caps off a season of dominance for the Volkswagen duo who have won six of the 10 rallies so far, and with three rallies still up for grabs (including Rally France) you’d expect the new world order to add to their tally.

Normally the nominated Powerstage is run towards the end of the rally, but for Rally France the nominated stage was SS1. Citroën driver Dani Sordo won the stage and collects three world championship points.

The only man who could stop Ogier winning the title was Ford’s Thierry Neuville, but to catch the Volkswagen ace he needed to win the Powerstage. Neuville, like Sordo a tarmac surface specialist, could only manage the two points offered for second place and with that Ogier’s title was secured. For good measure Ogier and Ingrassia finished third in the Powerstage and claimed a single championship point.

“I am absolutely overjoyed,” exclaimed Ogier. “I could give everyone in the world a big hug. The feeling is impossible to describe. To have won the World Championship title in France is an absolute dream come true. For the last few days I have been trying not to think too much about it, in order to avoid making any mistakes. The relief now is immense.

“However, I am also well aware that rallying is a team sport. This success would never have been possible without our fantastic team at Volkswagen. Whether trucker, mechanic or race engineer, I have to thank everyone. One thing is for sure—we will celebrate in style now!”

“It is possibly the best day of my life—and definitely of my career,” enthused Ingrassia. “If anyone had told me at the start of the year that Séb and I would already be World Champions with so much of the season still to go, I would immediately have told them they are mad. We were so close in Australia three weeks ago, but now the title win is a reality.”

It’s hard not to be happy for Ogier/Ingrassia and Volkswagen who have injected the WRC with a new enthusiasm. Nobody would have expected the Polo R WRC to make such an impact in its debut season, least of all the establishment at Citroën.

We’ll have more coverage of the rally over the next few days, but for now there’s some extra material from Volkswagen after the break.

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Hyundai WRC

Hyundai i20 WRC testing reaches new heights

Hyundai i20 WRC

There’s just over 100 days until the start of the 2014 WRC season and Hyundai’s preparation of its i20 is getting serious. You can tell by the fact the car is now covered in fancy camouflage graphics. That’s serious business right there!

Equally, testing is serious business and after a short evaluation break following their previous test Hyundai has been busy testing the i20 at altitude.

“This car is similar in specification to the one we used in Finland in August, but it does feature a couple of new elements,” explained Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan. “High altitude is one of the challenges we’ll have to overcome next year in the FIA World Rally Championship, especially in Mexico where the stages go up to 2,500 metres above sea level.

“The performance of the car can be affected under these conditions so the aim on this test was to study the engine behaviour and monitor the impact on the engine power. We also took the opportunity to keep on working on gravel set-up solutions and complete some good mileage with the car.”

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WRC

2014 WRC calendar confirmed

Volkswagen Polo R WRC, 2013 Rally Australia

Of course the World Motor Sport Council doesn’t just deal with F1 and after their meeting held last Friday the FIA has published the calendar for the 2014 WRC season.

Good news for local rally fans, too, with Rally Australia backing up from this year’s event. It will take place on the weekend ending 14 September. Rally New Zealand, which has previously alternated on a year by year basis with Australia, is absent from next year’s calendar.

As usual the WRC gang kicks off early with the traditional opener, Rallye Monte Carlo, due to finish on 19 January. And like this year there will be 13 races in all.

Unlike the relative instability of the F1 calendar, the WRC schedule has only altered slightly from this year’s schedule. Rally Acropolis has been dropped and replaced by Rally Poland.

You can check out the full calendar after the break.

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Volkswagen WRC

Ogier wants to win WRC title in style

Volkswagen Polo R WRC, 2013 Rally Italy

Sebastien Ogier has displayed the petulance of a world champion by saying he deserves to win the Rally de France-Alsace (3–6 October) on the way to clinching his maiden WRC crown.

On current form you’d think Ogier doesn’t have a lot to worry about, but all-time great Sebastien Loeb will emerge for one final hurrah in France and on his home tarmac Loeb could pose a genuine threat to Ogier’s ascension plans.

Talking about his approach to racing in France Ogier said: “I will go there for the victory. The only point which would make a bad situation for me, of course, [is] if Seb Loeb wins the rally and I got trouble or something.

“Then it will be a bit of a shadow on my championship against his victory again and I think I don’t deserve that.”

Hmm, getting a bit ahead of yourself there Sebastien?

So far in 2013 Loeb has competed in three WRC events: Monte Carlo (win), Sweden (second to Ogier) and Argentina (win). It’s been 12 months since Loeb competed in a tarmac event. But let’s face it, the nine-time champ is no rookie and he will be up to speed in no time.

Ogier missed securing the WRC title in Rally Australia by a single point, as such he only needs to finish in the top 10 in France to inherit Loeb’s title. If we were him we’d take a conservative approach in France and be prepared to lose a battle on the way to winning a very satisfying war.

[Source: Autosport]

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Citroen Volkswagen WRC

Sebastien Ogier wins 2013 Rally Australia

Volkswagen Polo R WRC, 2013 Rally Australia

Volkswagen ace Sebastien Ogier enjoyed a commanding weekend around Coffs Harbour winning 19 of 22 stages on his way to a dominant Rally Australia victory. It’s his sixth win of the year and came within a whisker of confirming his maiden world championship.

In order for Ogier to claim the title in Australia he needed to finish nine points or more ahead of Ford’s Thierry Neuville. And for much of the event, with Neuville in third place out of Mikko Hirvonen’s reach in second place, the stars seemed aligned for Ogier.

However, Hirvonen’s Citroën suffered a puncture on the final stage and cost him enough time to promote Neuville into second place. It was rotten luck for Hirvonen who has endured a difficult year. He is a three-time winner of Rally Australia and was enjoying a good rally and looked set for a comfortable second place.

The mathematical chance for Neuville to upset Ogier now hangs on by a single point, although most now expect Ogier will have the luxury of confirming his world title in front of his home crowd in next month’s Rally de France-Alsace.

Elsewhere in the field Jari-Matti Latvala suffered a puncture to his Polo R WRC on the opening day which put him out of contention. He was able to earn some decent points for Volkswagen in the manufacturers’ championship, though, coming home in fourth place. Young Volkswagen driver Andreas Mikkelsen put his name in the spotlight ending Day 1 in the lead of the event. His inexperience showed and he finished the race in sixth place.

For Citroën it had subbed out Rally Germany winner Dani Sordo for Kris Meeke. In the early stages Meeke was repaying that faith on the difficult Australian gravel running well and looking secure in third place. On Day 2 a small mistake sent Meeke down a steep embankment and his car rolled several times. The Citroën crew did an amazing job to rebuild the car overnight and Meeke was able to rejoin the rally on the final day. Unfortunately he made another error and ripped the right rear suspension from his car. The 34-year-old Irishman cut a forlorn figure at rally’s end.

A quick shout out too for Coffs Harbour local Nathan Quinn who was competing in a Motorsport Italia MINI JCW WRC and brought it home in one piece in eighth place collecting four world championship points.

Photos, videos and official press statements from both Volkswagen and Citröen are all yours after the break.

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Citroen WRC

Dani Sordo wins 2013 Rally Germany

Dani Sordo wins 2013 Rally Germany

Citroën pairing Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio have shown great personal character to claim their maiden WRC victory. The Spanish duo have been dropped for next month’s Rally Australia, but fought out a gripping battle with Ford’s Thierry Neuville to win Rally Germany.

In truth the win came about because both Volkswagen’s crashed out of contention while leading the rally; Sebastien Ogier on Day 1, followed by Jar-Matti Latvala on Day 2. Neuville inherited the lead from Latvala but was unable to withstand the strong pace shown from Sordo all weekend, who took the lead late on Day 3.

Able to maintain the lead in the final day Sordo was elated with his first WRC win. “It’s fantastic to claim my first win after such a close fight,” he said. “We had no choice but to keep applying the pressure and in the end, Thierry was forced into a mistake. We didn’t get off to a particularly good start, but we all worked together to improve. We did the hardest part yesterday, but we had to maintain our form today and that’s exactly what we did. Now that I have my first win, I want some more!”

Ogier was able to claim the three points on offer in the power stage, so it wasn’t a total loss for him and Volkswagen. Although, Citroën managed to cut 29 points out of Volkswagen’s championship lead.

The WRC entourage hits our shores next month for Rally Australia (12–15 September).

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Citroen Volkswagen WRC

“Shit happens!”

Sebastien Ogier crashes out of 2013 Rally Germany

This weekend’s Rally Germany was supposed to be Sebastien Ogier’s crowning glory. If things went his way he could have secured the 2013 World Rally Championship. At its home event, it would have been a perfect way for Volkswagen to announce its arrival on the world rally stage. Alas, as Ogier himself said, “Shit happens.”

Ogier crashed out on Day 1 with damaged suspension. He’ll now have to wait to secure his maiden world title. Teammate Jari-Matti Latvala now leads the charge in Germany, with Ford driver Thierry Neuville close behind.

Being a tarmac event, Rally Germany is one of our favourites. On asphalt the WRC cars look their best, with bigger wheels and lowered suspension.

For hot hatch fans it doesn’t get much better. That’s why we’ve included a couple of videos from Volkswagen and Citroën for you after the break.

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Citroen WRC

Rally Australia: Out Dani Sordo, in Kris Meeke

Kris Meeke, Citroen WRT

In a cruel irony former MINI WRC driver Dani Sordo has been cast aside by the Citroën World Rally Team and will be replaced by former MINI WRC driver Kris Meeke.

Meeke and co-driver Chris Patterson will step into Sordo’s car for Rally Australia (13–15 September). An official Citroën WRT statement suggests that Dani can now, “focus on finding form in a less pressurised environment.” Ouch, that’s cutting!

And it gets worse for Sordo, with the team’s appraisal of his Rally Finland performance: “The fastest rally on the calendar proved tricky for Dani Sordo, who was not able to find the right rhythm to make it into the leading places. Sorely lacking in confidence on gravel, the Spanish driver has agreed with Citroën Racing that he will sit out the next round in order to try and take a step back and find some form on the surface away from pressure.”

But it’s all good news for Meeke, who was the first of the MINI drivers to lose his seat, while Sordo carried on until MINI finally pulled the plug. It’s not a bad return for Meeke, who wrote off his Citroën DS3 WRC in his first outing for the team at Rally Finland. He was filling in for regular driver Khalid Al-Qassimi.

“We are really very happy that Citroën has shown faith in us again after our performance at Rally Finland,” Meeke said. “For us, this is an incredible opportunity to take part in the rally as part of the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team alongside Mikko and Jarmo, and we are determined to give our best.”

Meeke says he’s comfortable in his new team and is looking ahead to the future, he reveals more in an interview with Red Bull.

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Volkswagen WRC

Sebastien Ogier wins 2013 Rally Finland

Volkswagen Polo R WRC, 2013 Rally Finland

Sebastien Ogier won the 2013 Rally Finland last weekend and is now starting to talk about the world championship. And why wouldn’t he, it was his fifth win for the year and he enjoys a 90 point lead over his nearest rivals and seems unstoppable.

“It is impossible to describe how I feel! This win here in Finland is a dream come true for me,” said Ogier. “And to win in Sweden as well this year—it is a great feeling to win these two rallies this year ahead of the Nordic guys like Mads Østberg, Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala.”

In second place, over 36 seconds behind Ogier was promising Ford driver Thierry Neuville, who also claimed maximum points in the power stage; the first non-Volkswagen driver to do so this year. Claiming the final podium step was Neuville’s Ford teammate, Mads Østberg.

Jari-Matti Latvala had high hopes coming into his home rally, but made a mistake on the opening day resulting in damaged suspension and the end of his hopes for victory.

Rally Finland means one thing: lots of jumps! There’s video and more photos for you after the break, which capture the air time very well. These are complemented by Volkswagen’s official word from the event.

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Hyundai WRC

Hyundai i20 WRC starts to hit its straps

Hyundai i20 WRC

It’s only a week since Chris Atkinson was officially announced as a test driver for the Hyundai WRC team and already he has plenty of development miles behind him. Atkinson and fellow development drivers, Juho Hänninen and Bryan Bouffier, have been gathering dust in the i20 WRC in preparation for Hyundai’s WRC assault in 2014.

Team boss, Michel Nandan, says he is happy with the team’s progress. “We have had a very solid month of testing and learned a lot about the performance potential of the new Hyundai i20 WRC in a range of conditions,” he explained.

“We have signed three very competent development drivers in Juho, Bryan and Chris, and the balance of the last month of testing has, for me, been positive.

“We have had a lot of work to do in a short space of time, but I can sense we are working well as a unified team. We have hit every target so far and I am proud of the entire team effort. We look forward to our next phase of development with optimism.”

Oh, as a sidenote, we haven’t forgotten that Sebastien Ogier won Rally Finland on the weekend, either, an update including several photos of the spectacular air time enjoyed by the drivers should be up soon.

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Hyundai WRC

Chris Atkinson joins Hyundai WRC program

Chris Atkinson

In promising news for Chris Atkinson’s on-again off-again WRC career he has been signed to Hyundai’s WRC program. At this stage it’s a test role only and he’ll be behind the wheel of an i20 WRC prototype later this week.

“It is great to be able to integrate Chris into Hyundai Motorsport testing line-up for this season and I am convinced he will bring a lot of valuable WRC experience,” Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan said. “Chris will support the work of our main test drivers Juho and Bryan. With the combined expertise of all three test drivers, we will be able to benefit from thorough and comprehensive input at every test session.”

Atkinson revealed he was at Hyundai’s WRC headquarter a few weeks ago and hopes his experience will be of value to the team. “It is such an exciting project,” he said. “After visiting the Hyundai Motorsport factory three weeks ago, I am simply impressed by the team’s commitment and achievements so far.

“I have a lot of experience of many different WRC cars and events, and I will utilise this knowledge to support the development of the 2014 i20 WRC car.”

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Formula 1 WEC WRC

Fancy some very cool retro motorsport art?

Earlier today we dropped into MotorSportRetro.com and noticed these very cool posters. They’re created by Adelaide-based graphic designer Sean Kane. There’s a series of five posters in total, three featuring Ayrton Senna (2 x Lotus, 1 x McLaren), one with the 1991 Le Mans winning Mazda 787B rotary and one with Juha Kankunnen’s 1986 Peugeot 205 T16 E2 Group B rally car.

They’re very cool. And you can buy them all for yourself if you want!