Category: WRC, Rally

Quotes after day one of the Rally Germany

Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“Unfortunately I braked a little too late in a right-hander eight kilometres into the last stage. That is why our Polo R WRC skidded off the road, into the vineyards and eventually over a two-metre wall and back onto the road – unfortunately not the right one. There was no way back onto the route for Julien and me. Fortunately the car was still intact, so we were able to drive back to the service park under our own steam. We are obviously very disappointed, as we were leading and wanted to present Volkswagen with a win at its home rally. With a ten-minute penalty, it will be very hard for us to fight our way into the points now. But we will keep on fighting. Our goal is now the three points on offer in Sunday’s Power Stage.”

Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“It is obviously a great shame for Sébastien and Julien that their chances of winning evaporated on the final stage of the day – up until then we had been embroiled in a great, hard-fought duel for the lead. When I received the news from the team by SMS, I took my foot off the gas a little. With a lead of over half a minute, we now hold all the aces to win the Rally Germany for Volkswagen for the first time. We must remain fully focussed in order to achieve this goal. It will not be an easy job mastering the coming stages and the unsettled weather conditions.”

Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“I took a very cautious approach to the start of the Rally Germany, in order to gradually get used to the conditions on the asphalt. Despite this, I still caught the outside of a corner with my rear wheel at the start of the third stage, and damaged the rim in the process. That cost a bit of time. We altered the set-up of our Polo for the afternoon, in order to solve the slight understeer we were getting. That paid off. I am very happy with day one here in Germany. My goal of achieving a top-five result, if possible, has not changed. In this regard we are on track and even have a chance of a podium. I am excited to see what we can achieve over the next two days.”

Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
“Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala were in a class of their own today. Unfortunately this electrifying duel for the lead at the Rally Germany came to a premature end, as a small mistake had big consequences for Sébastien. His slip on the final stage of the day means he will no longer have a say in the race for the podium. They will resume under Rally2 regulations on Saturday and, like the rest of the team, will do their utmost to ensure that we achieve our goals here in Germany. Above all, this is to win the Manufacturers’ Championship. Although we have suffered a set-back today, it is still possible to wrap up the World Championship here. It is now down to every individual to make this dream a reality. This includes Andreas Mikkelsen. He is putting in a very good performance, although he only has little experience of these conditions with the Polo R WRC. Fourth place is a fantastic result.”

And then there was …

… paint on acrylic. The Polo R WRC has been immortalised on canvas by Fran Richley, just in time for its home event in Germany. A with all his originals, the Welsh artist had World Champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia sign a number of reproductions. Richley was on hand in Trier to personally present Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito with the original on high-quality acrylic.

“It’s been a fantastic weekend at Rally Finland,” said Dr Heinz-Jakob Neußer, Volkswagen Board Member for Technical Development, who was in Finland to support the Volkswagen team. “Both Jari-Matti Latvala and Sébastien Ogier dominated 25 of the 26 special stages and the final day of the rally couldn’t have been more exciting. There was no knowing who would actually win the rally until they finally crossed the line. The Power Stage once again demonstrated what the team and the Polo R WRC are capable of. We are very happy with the result in Finland and congratulate Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila on this huge success in front of a home crowd.”

Recipe for success: good self-confidence and a healthy dose of ‘sisu’

The Finnish word ‘sisu’ is the most accurate way to describe the key to Jari-Matti Latvala’s success in his home event. ‘Sisu’ is said to be untranslatable, but can be loosely translated as power, stamina or tenacity, and also intransigence or fighting spirit. And Jari-Matti Latvala demonstrated all of these during Rally Finland. On the second day of the rally, Latvala, who is second in the championship, dominated the proceedings in the morning, but had something of a setback in the afternoon. Having hit a large pothole during the 20th special stage, a damaged brake line left him with no braking power on the front right-hand wheel, which caused him to lose around 27 seconds of his lead. Latvala therefore tackled the final three special stages on Sunday with a very slim lead of just 3.4 seconds, and demonstrated not only his driving skills, but also his mental strength.

Since the start of the 2014 season, Jari-Matti Latvala has also been drawing on the support of mental trainer Christoph Treier. Latvala was therefore relaxed during the special stages in his home event, in spite of the huge public expectations and his extremely high motivation. And this resulted in success, with Latvala/Anttila securing 14 of the 26 possible fastest times in the rally.

Prestige duel to the very last metre: Latvala vs. Ogier

Rally Finland, which is considered to be the mother of all WRC rallies, was very much all about Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila and their Volkswagen teammates Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia this year, with 25 of the 26 possible best times being scored by one or the other of the two Volkswagen duos. The only rivals who were able to keep pace were Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (GB/IRL, Citroën), who picked up one fastest time and finished in third place overall. The Latvala vs. Ogier duel narrowed to a difference of 3.7 seconds ahead of the final Power Stage, and was then reduced further to 3.6 seconds at the finishing line. On multiple occasions during their high-octane duel, Latvala and Ogier hit a top speed of 200 kilometres per hour, at which point their speed was kept in check by the speed limiters. With countless jumps, some as far as 60 metres, and also plenty of blind hill crests and corners, the WRC drivers had to deliver maximum precision. And for the 38th time in the history of the WRC, a rally was won with a margin of less then ten seconds.

Great success, part two: match balls for Volkswagen head of home event in Germany

Thanks to its one-two victory in Finland, Volkswagen has extended its lead in the manufacturers’ standings in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) to 175 points over their closest rival Citroën. This therefore gives Volkswagen its first match ball ahead of the brand’s own home event, Rally Germany: if it succeeds in defending a 172-point lead, the manufacturers’ championship title will go to Wolfsburg for the second year in a row. The German rally could also be a decider in favour of Volkswagen in the drivers’ standings too: following Rally Finland, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have a lead of 121 points over the best non-Volkswagen duo, Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson (N/S, Citroën). If they still have a lead of 112 points after Rally Germany, it will definitely be a Volkswagen duo who will celebrate victory in the drivers’ and co-drivers’ standings. Ogier/Ingrassia are currently in the lead on 187 points, followed by their teammates Latvala/Anttila (143 points) and Mikkelsen (95 points).

Facts, facts, facts: actual and potential records

With Rally Finland now over, Volkswagen has racked up a total of 19,996.66 kilometres during 391 special stages since it joined the WRC with the Polo R WRC in January 2013. This is equivalent to driving half way round the globe – at a rally pace, of course. During this period, Volkswagen has scored 269 fastest times and a total of 618 top-three times. Volkswagen has celebrated victory 18 times out of 21 WRC rallies, twelve of which it has scored in succession across two seasons. And by winning in Finland, Volkswagen has matched the previous best of eight wins in the same season, which Citroën achieved in 2011. For Volkswagen, the eighth rally of the season gave it its fifth one-two win of the year, and the seventh such win overall. Jari-Matti Latvala celebrated his 44th podium finish in the WRC, twelve of which he has achieved with Volkswagen. It was also his eleventh outright win, and his fourth such win in the Polo R WRC.

The icing on the cake: bonus points for Volkswagen drivers in the Power Stage

To date, Volkswagen has picked up Power Stage bonus points on 37 occasions – in the 20 Power Stages held so far. In addition, Ogier/Ingrassia gave Volkswagen its 15th consecutive Power Stage win in Finland. Latvala, the winner of the 2014 Rally Finland, has won five Power Stages in his WRC career, two of which with Volkswagen. Ogier meanwhile has a tally of 15 Power Stage wins, eleven of which with Volkswagen. And Mikkelsen also has one Power Stage win to his name, a victory he scored in the Polo R WRC.

Quotes, day 3, Rally Finland

Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“I think the fans and also we will remember this Rally Finland for a long time to come. I may not have won, but it was still a fantastic final with a great battle all the way to the very last second. Congratulations to Jari-Matti and Miikka, who really deserved this win in their home country. They were simply unbeatable this time. I already knew this morning that reducing their lead would be difficult. When you drive almost an entire stage at full speed, you can’t even make good a 3.4-second deficit if the driver in front doesn’t make any mistakes. Julien and I took all the risks we could in the penultimate stage, but Jari-Matti matched our pace. Overall, it’s been a fantastic weekend and I’m perfectly happy with the points we scored for coming second in Finland.”

Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“This win in Finland is a very special moment for Miikka and me. We last managed to do this in 2010, and this win feels twice as good considering our disappointing result last year. I had a good feeling in the Polo R WRC right from the start of the rally, and the car was set up perfectly once again. So a big thank-you to my team for their excellent work. And I would, of course, also like to thank all the fans who supported Miikka and me throughout the rally here in Finland. This win was a tough cookie, though. We were in a bit of a predicament on Saturday evening when we were no longer able to use one of our brakes. Nevertheless, we didn’t give up and we kept on fighting. I’m really very happy about this result.”

Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“Once again, Rally Finland was a very special rally, and is considered to be one of the most demanding rallies in the WRC calendar due to its particular traits. Ola and I are therefore very happy with fourth place. From Saturday, we were in a comfortable position overall, with a good time buffer to hold off our closest rival. We were therefore able to tackle the final day in a controlled manner, but we still wanted to attack during the Power Stage in order to be in with a chance of scoring a few bonus points for the championship. In the end, we finished in fourth place, but are happy with our performance overall. Congratulations to Jari-Matti and Miikka on winning Rally Finland. They very much deserved to win.”

Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
“To my knowledge, there’s no one in the service park who doesn’t think Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila deserved this emotional home victory. I’m especially delighted for them today because they worked hard for this success and achieved it on the basis of immense willpower – in spite of some minor setbacks. We experienced the best Jari-Matti Latvala of all time, with an entirely new attitude towards rallying – highly focused, but relaxed at the same time. He was in his own world while he was driving and only his teammate Sébastien Ogier was able to keep up with him to the end. Andreas Mikkelsen likewise drove brilliantly and clinched fourth place in this highly demanding rally – fantastic. This one-two victory gives us the opportunity to secure the manufacturers’ championship title before the end of the season during Rally Germany. And we would obviously like to do that in style, preferably with a rally win. We have to make up for last year’s result at home. And Jari-Matti Latvala has shown us here in Finland how to win in front of a home crowd in spite of pressure and huge expectations.”

And then there was …

… a very loud wake-up call. All the teams’ drivers were awoken by a fire alarm at the central hotel for Rally Finland on Sunday morning. The high-pitched alarm was set off by Luis Moya, two-time world champion alongside Carlos Sainz, who now works in the Volkswagen team. Moya put a slice of bread in the toaster, then forgot about it, and the toaster was soon churning out smoke and turning his toast into charcoal. It cannot, however, be confirmed as to whether Moya really did say “For Heaven’s sake, Carlos, please turn the toaster off”.