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Category: WRC, Rally
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Volkswagen leads at halfway mark: WRC
The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) is in its summer break, with the next highlight – the Rally Finland – scheduled for the start of August. After seven of the thirteen races, Volkswagen boasts an impressive record: a significant lead in the WRC Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships, victories in over 57 per cent of this season’s special stages so far, and five wins in seven rounds of the World Championship. The start of the Volkswagen works team’s debut season in the World Rally Championship has been better than even the boldest optimists had expected. As such, the team enters the second half of the season, which consists of a further six rallies, full of confidence.
After the latest success in the Volkswagen Polo R WRC for Sébastien Ogier and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia (F/F) at the Rally Italy in Sardinia, the Volkswagen works team leads the Manufacturers’ Championship on 220 points. In the Drivers’ standings, Ogier is currently top dog with 154 points, a whole 64 points ahead of team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) who recently finished third in Sardinia. It bodes well for the Frenchman: in the last five years, the driver leading the overall standings at the halfway point of the WRC has gone on to claim the title come the end of the year.
Volkswagen has also clocked the fastest time on 69 of the season’s 120 special stages so far in the Polo R WRC – a remarkable success rate of 57.5 per cent. Furthermore, at least one Volkswagen Motorsport driver has stood on the podium at every round of the WRC this year – predominantly Ogier, who has won four of the seven WRC races so far and finished runner-up in a further two rallies.
“We are very happy with the results, as we have far exceeded our original goals,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. “However, we cannot afford to take our foot off the gas, but must remain just as focussed in the second half of the season if we want to win the World Championship. We still have six races to overcome – a challenge we are looking forward to facing. Our focus for now is on the Rally Finland, the next event at the start of August. That is followed by the Rally Germany – another highlight, the home race for Volkswagen, and our first real asphalt rally. We are already looking forward to the second part of the WRC season and to the sporting challenges that it throws up.”
The next iconic rally on the calendar is the Rally Finland, from 01 to 03 August. Extremely high speeds and spectacular jumps on Finland’s gravel roads make the eighth round of the season another highlight for teams and rally fans alike. The drivers must complete 23 special stages with 332.14 kilometres against the clock. Only three weeks later comes the Rally Germany (22–25 August), which this year starts in Cologne for the first time, before the 16 stages and 371.92 kilometres of special stage take place in the Mosel region around Trier.
Classic stages like “Arena Panzerplatte” and the “Dhrontal” power stage have been hugely popular with the fans in Germany for years. The fact that the surface alternates between asphalt and concrete also makes the Rally Germany a first-class challenge for the drivers and teams. After Volkswagen Motorsport’s home event, the WRC circus heads overseas to the Rally Australia (12–15 September), before returning to Europe for the Rally France (3–6 October) and the Rally Spain (24–27 October) and the season finale at the Rally Great Britain (13–17 November).
ends
Sebastian Ogier leads his teammate Jari-Matti Lattvala at the halfway mark of WRC: File photo by Volkswagen team -
Ogier-Ingrassia dominate Rally Sardinia for 5th WRC win
Sardinia, 22 June 2013: Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) won the rally in Sardinia in their Polo R WRC with a lead of 1m 16.8s over their closest competitor, Thierry Neuville (Ford).
At the halfway point of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Volkswagen dominates the proceedings with its fifth win in seven rallies. The Volkswagen team has also comfortably extended its lead in this, the most prestigious motorsport world championship after Formula 1.
The two Frenchmen have therefore extended their lead in the driver/co-driver rankings to 64 points. Their Volkswagen team colleagues Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) demonstrated an impressive final spurt to likewise make it onto the podium, finishing in third place, in spite of having dropped back to twelfth place due to a flat tyre during the first stage. This puts the two Finns in second place in the driver/co-driver world championship rankings. They also played a major part in enabling Volkswagen’s 315 hp four-wheel drives to further extend the car make’s lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Andreas Mikkelsen, who celebrated his 24th birthday on theSaturday of the rally in Sardinia, again missed out on a good result together with his co-driver Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) – on the third from last stage of the rally, they were instructed by the team to take all available risks in order to secure fourth place overall, but a slip-up then cost them this ranking. Mikkelsen/Markkula veered off the track on a slow corner and caused only light damage to the suspension – but then had to retire from the rally early.
Volkswagen put on a strong team performance in the seventh of 13 events in the WRC season, in front of Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, the member of the Board of Management for the Volkswagen brand who is responsible for development. “It was a great success for the whole of the team and being there to see it was a fantastic experience,” said Dr Hackenberg. “This was actually my last rally as the head of development at Volkswagen, but I will no doubt visit a few more rallies some time. I have put a lot of heart and soul into this project and that doesn’t simply evaporate when you move to pastures new.”
The driver factor: outstanding performances from Ogier and Latvala
13 fastest times in 16 special stages, seven of which were scored by Sébastien Ogier and six by Jari-Matti Latvala – once again, Volkswagen was able to put its faith in strong drivers in Rally Italy. One of them was in the lead right from the start, while the other one compellingly continued to gain ground – Ogier and Latvala acclimatised perfectly to the tough conditions in Sardinia. Consistency and speed were also the order of the day, with the overall leader Ogier dominating the front position in the WRC pack from the very first stage on Friday and refusing to forfeit it all the way to the finishing line on Saturday. The key to the 29-year-old Frenchman’s fourth win of the season was his clever driving style that went easy on his tyres, which placed him among the top three drivers no less than 14 times in the 16 special stages. His team colleague Jari-Matti Latvala was absolutely on a par with him, himself achieving 14 recorded times that were among the top three. Incidentally, even with his damaged tyre, which cost him 1m 56.4s, Latvala was still only 1m 48.0s behind Ogier after driving 304.50 timed kilometres.
Unfailing teamwork: mechanics a huge support to Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen
With just two days of rallying in Sardinia, making this the most compact WRC event of the year, the whole team needed to put in a good performance. The Volkswagen team provided the three pairs of drivers with major support during the rally’s six services, with their meticulous and reliable work meaning that Ogier, Latvala und Mikkelsen were working with the perfect materials at all times. On the Saturday, Sébastien Ogier’s mechanics sent the Polo R WRC out on the final four special stages with a subframe that had been replaced just to be on the safe side together with power steering. This involved some incredible work, with two mechanics replacing the component in just eight minutes.
Intense heat: challenging conditions in Sardinia
Rally Italy once again made huge demands of the drivers, with the extreme temperatures on the one hand and very narrow tracks lined with natural rocks on the other. A combination of gravel and a loose layer of sand on top made the first time of driving the eight special stages, each of which was driven twice, a highly slippery affair. These conditions meant the drivers had to use all their concentration and skills to use their tyres wisely. Even the slightest of errors could have brought things to an end for a driver at any time or could have cost them some precious time.
The Power Stage advantage: bonus points for Volkswagen drivers
For the fifth time out of six occasions so far, ‘Mr Power Stage’ Sébastien Ogier and Volkswagen achieved the fastest time in the Power Stage, during which bonus points are awarded to the top three drivers. His team colleague Jari-Matti Latvala likewise picked up some bonus points by finishing third in the 22.25-kilometre stage. This means a unique run of success for Volkswagen continues, with the brand having achieved all of the fastest times in the Power Stages contested in 2013.
Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships: Ogier, Ingrassia and Volkswagen in the lead
Volkswagen picked up a maximum amount of points in Sardinia, while the current overall leader Sébastien Ogier extended his lead in the drivers’ rankings, with his co-driver Julien Ingrassia doing the same in the corresponding co-driver rankings. The pair now have a lead of 64 points over their team colleagues Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila, who are ranked second. Volkswagen is also at the top of the Manufacturers’ Championship thanks to its two strong duos and was able to extend its lead over the defending champions Citroën to 46 points as a result of Rally Italy.
Statements, day 2, Rally Italy
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #7
“Third place is a fantastic result overall – but we could have done better. The flat tyre in the first stage was nobody’s fault but our own – we should have been more observant during the recce and should have had that spot of the track in our pace notes. Losing two minutes as a result was disappointing at first. But on the other hand, it also gave us the opportunity to attack without any pressure and to challenge our competitors. Our speed was very good throughout the rally, and that’s what allowed us to grapple our way back up from twelfth to third place. The team played a big part in that too, so thanks for that, guys. I really felt at home in the Polo R WRC and will tackle my home rally in Finland filled with confidence.”Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #8
“It feels fantastic to be back on top of the podium again! I was really beginning to miss that feeling after the last two rallies. I’m simply delighted – the team did a fantastic job and the Polo ran like a dream all weekend. We now have a very comfortable lead in the Drivers’ Championship rankings. The rally was incredibly demanding physically, due to the high temperatures, and it sometimes got as hot as 45 degrees in the cockpit. On the second day in particular, you came close to your limits and you easily lost three to four litres of fluid. So I’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to our team members who look after us and to the physiotherapy team, who did a great job of taking care of us. The heat really takes it out on the tyres and the car too. My tyre-friendly driving style was no doubt one of the reasons for my victory. I was especially pleased to once again win the Power Stage. I had a tough fight on my hands there with Thierry Neuville, who was incredibly fast during that stage, as he was throughout the rally.”Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“I’m extremely disappointed, of course, because we got off to a very good start in Rally Italy and I think we put in a good performance. That is, until our slip-up today. We wanted to go in for the kill and clinch fourth place. In the afternoon session, I had already made good eight seconds on Dani Sordo in the first of the four remaining stages. I only needed around twelve more seconds to pass him, so we went for broke in the following stage too. But then I braked too late on a slow corner and we slid and hit a tree stump, which tore off our tie rod. So that was the end of that. I had hoped for a slightly different outcome on my birthday. But I think we were again able to gain a lot of important experience during this rally.”Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
“What more could we ask for? Rally Italy was a resounding success for Volkswagen and marks another milestone in our first season in the World Rally Championship. If somebody had said ahead of the season that we would be leading in all three championship categories and that we would win five out of the seven events in the first half of the season, we most certainly wouldn’t have believed them. Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala delivered nothing but top performances here in Italy. The same goes for Andreas Mikkelsen too, even though he had to retire just before the end of the rally. He was endeavouring to turn our instructions into deeds by going all out to take fourth place, and had a bit of bad luck in the process. But that certainly doesn’t remotely detract from his achievements as far as the team is concerned. I am proud of all three drivers. They have really earned their summer break. All the same, we are already looking forward to the next rally in Finland at the end of July.”
And then there was …
… the dual role of ‘FX’. Volkswagen’s Technical Project Manager for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), François-Xavier Demaison – or ‘FX’ for short –, not only has overall technical responsibility for all three of the Polo R WRC vehicles; he is also acting as the vehicle engineer for Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila in Italy. Fabrice van Ertvelde, who has worked with the Finnish pair in the rallies already gone and who will also be working with them during the six WRC rallies still to come, had a very good reason not to be there in Italy: he and his girlfriend are expecting the birth of their child this weekend. Van Ertvelde is a veritable old hand at Volkswagen: he was the engineer for Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz during Volkswagen’s very first win in the Dakar Rally back in 2009.
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).
Rally Italy – resultsFriday.
21 June 2013km #7
Latvala/
Anttila#8
Ogier/
Ingrassia#9
Mikkelsen/
MarkkulaSS 01 Monte Lerno 1 31.08 P12
(+ 1m 56.4s)P01 P07
(+ 29.5s)SS 02 Castelsardo 1 14.00 P01 P02
(+ 2.2s)P07
(+ 14.0s)SS 03 Tergu–Osilo 1 14.93 P02
(+ 0.3s)P01 P07
(+ 14.4s)SS 04 Castelsardo 2 14.00 P04
(+ 2.2s)P02
(+ 1.4s)P05
(+ 4.3s)SS 05 Tergu–Osilo 2 14.93 P03
(+ 1.4s)P02
(+ 0.2s)P06
(+ 8.4s)SS 06 Monte Lerno 2 31.08 P02
(+ 4.3s)P01 P07
(+ 21.0s)SS 07 Gallura 1 13.55 P01 P02
(+ 10.9s)P07
(+ 18.8s)SS 08 Gallura 2 13.55 P01 P03
(+ 5.9s)P06
(+ 25.6s)Overall classification P05
(+ 1m 44.0s)P01 P06
(+ 1m 55.4s)Saturday.
22 June 2013km #7
Latvala/
Anttila#8
Ogier/
Ingrassia#9
Mikkelsen/
MarkkulaSS 09 Monte Olia 1 19.27 P03
(+ 5.4s)P04
(+ 6.1s)P05
(+ 18.3s)SS 10 Terranova 1 14.82 P03
(+ 3.3s)P01 P05
(+ 7.2s)SS 11 Monti di Alà 1 22.25 P02
(+ 6.5s)P01 P04
(+ 13.7s)SS 12 Coiluna–
Loelle 122.35 P01 P02
(+ 2.1s)P03
(+ 5.7s)SS 13 Monte Olia 2 19.27 P01 P04
(+ 2.9s)P02
(+ 0.2s)SS 14 Terranova 2 14.82 P03
(+ 1.4s)P01 DNF SS 15 Monti di Alà 2 22.25 P03
(+ 4.5s)P01 SS 16 Coiluna–
Loelle 222.35 P01 P03
(+ 6.4s)Overall classification P03
(+ 1m 48.0s)P01 DNF
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC),
Rally Italy – final result1 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen 3h 22m 57.9s 2 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Ford + 1m 16.8s 3 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen + 1m 48.0s 4 Daniel Sordo/Carlos del Barrio (E/E), Citroën + 3m 19.2s 5 Martin Prokop/Michal Ernst (CZ/CZ), Ford + 8m 34.1s 6 Elfyn Evans/Giovanni Bernacchini (GB/I), Ford + 11m 51.8s 7 Michal Kościuszko/Maciej Szczepaniak (PL/PL), Ford + 11m 52.7s 8 Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson (N/S), Ford + 13m 21.5s 9 Robert Kubica/Maciek Baran (PL/PL), Citroën + 16m 47.6s 10 Khalid Al Qassimi/Martin Scott (UAE/GB), Citroën + 17m 19.9s
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC),
Rally Italy – result power stage1 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen 13m 03.6s 2 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Ford + 1.0s 3 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen + 4.5s
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), points standings
Drivers’ classificationPoints 1 Sébastien Ogier 154 2 Jari-Matti Latvala 90 3 Thierry Neuville 70 4 Sébastien Loeb 68 5 Mikko Hirvonen 61 6 Daniel Sordo 59 7 Mads Østberg 50 8 Martin Prokop 37 9 Evgeny Novikov 31 10 Nasser Al-Attiyah 30 11 Andreas Mikkelsen 25 Manufacturers classification Points 1 Volkswagen Motorsport 220 2 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT 174 3 Qatar WRT 89 4 Qatar M-Sport WRT 89 5 Jipocar Czech National Team 39 6 Abu Dhabi Citroën Total WRT 33 7 Volkswagen Motorsport II 26 8 Lotos WRC Team 20 -
Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila fastest
A perfect start: Volkswagen has got itself into an excellent position for Rally Italy. In the qualifying session for the seventh event of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season, the three pairs of Volkswagen drivers all earned themselves the right to choose a good starting position in the start of the rally on Friday. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), who recently scored a victory in Rally Greece, achieved the fastest time in the qualifying session and elected to start the rally last, in 13th place. The current overall leaders Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) recorded the third best time and chose to start the rally from position eleven. Their team colleagues Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) qualified in eighth place and will compete from position six on Friday.
The starting positions in the field of World Rally Cars are a key success factor in Rally Italy in Sardinia. A layer of sand on top of the gravel means that the driving conditions will be slippery at the start of the special stages. But once this sand has been ‘swept away’, the vehicles’ grip improves tremendously. Volkswagen is now in an excellent position in Rally Italy, thanks to the results of the qualifying session and the driver pairs’ starting position choices.
Statements, Rally Italy qualification
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #7
“I’m obviously very happy with having achieved the fastest time, which gives us a great position to start from. I had a good feeling about the qualifying session, having already tried out the soft tyres in the morning. Choosing to start as the last World Rally Car in our Polo R WRC wasn’t remotely difficult, considering the hot and dry weather conditions. Tomorrow, we will have to try to always stay on the clean part of the course. The tracks are very narrow and there are lots of large rocks and boulders scattered along the sides. We still have our sights set on making it onto the winners’ rostrum – but we’ll have to see how things shape up in the rally, because this is a very tough one for the drivers and co-drivers, as well as for the vehicles and tyres.”Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #8
“I’m pretty happy with the qualifying session. I had aimed to finish among the top three, and I managed to do this. Being the first to hit the gravel tracks here in Sardinia is never easy because you will always lose a little time. So it was important to be fast in the qualifying session, to be able to choose a starting position at the back of the field. Congratulations to Jari-Matti Latvala, who did a great job. As far as the rest of the rally is concerned, we will have to be very focused, because the narrow gravel tracks don’t leave any scope for errors. There’s one thing that’s definitely just right – the Polo is driving nicely. And hopefully my luck will return.”Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“I could have done a lot better than eighth place. I chose to use hard tyres in the practice session, and didn’t switch to soft tyres until we came to the qualifying session. I didn’t think there would be such a big difference, but the car really did feel different when running on soft tyres. And then I nearly stalled the engine in a hairpin bend. I didn’t lose much time as a result of that, but it was enough to drop back a few positions in this tight field of competitors. All the same, it doesn’t look too bad for tomorrow. We’ll just have to see what we can get out of our starting position.”Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
“With a stony substratum and a soft, sandy top layer, being able to start from the back is hugely important here in Italy. So we are obviously very happy with positions one, three and eight in the qualifying session. All three pairs of drivers and co-drivers delivered top performances at the right time today. Jari-Matti Latvala’s fastest time was the icing on the cake, and Sébastien Ogier is right up there at the front too, in this incredibly close field. Both of them have good starting positions for the rally tomorrowthat will allow them to follow a clear line in the special stages. Today, Andreas Mikkelsen found out just how tight things are at the top and what difference a minor error can make – something tiny knocked him back a few places. But his starting position is still good. All in all, we put on a solid team performance today.”And then there was …
… a rally trip into the past. Jari-Matti Latvala will be getting behind the wheel of a historic Audi for the Rally Estonia. The vehicle belonging to the Volkswagen Group brand Audi made its debut at Rally Monte Carlo in 1981. Are there parallels with the premiere of the Polo R WRC this season? Just like the original quattro, the Polo R WRC recorded the fastest time in its very first special stage. Any other similarities? The 1981 Audi and the 2013 Polo R WRC both won the second rally, in Sweden. And as is the case with Volkswagen, the two Audi vehicles were driven by a French pair and a Finnish pair. For Latvala, competing in the Audi quattro is something of a dream come true: “I’ve never driven a first-generation four-wheel drive before. I have always wanted to compare a vehicle like this one with a modern-day World Rally Car such as the Polo – and now I have the opportunity to do just that.”
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC),
Rally Italy – TV broadcastWestern Europe Andorra (Canal +); Austria (LAOLA1.tv, ORF, ServusTV); Belgium (RTBF); Denmark (VIASAT); Finland (MTV3, YLE Sport); France (Canal +, France TV, Léquipe 21, TF1); Germany (Sport1, RTL, n-tv, LAOLA1.tv, ServusTV); Greece (OTE); Ireland (Setanta); Italy (RAI, Canale Italia, Sportitalia); Monaco (Canal +, France TV, Léquipe 21, TF1); Netherlands (RTL 7); Norway (VIASAT); Portugal (Sport TV, RTP); Spain (Canal +); Sweden (SVT); Wales (S4C) Eastern Europe Czech Republic (Czech TV, Sport 5); Poland (TVP, TV4, TV6); Romania (Dolce Sport); Russia (Auto Plus); Slovakia (Czech TV, Sport 5); Ukraine (First Automotive Channel) Asia Pacific Malaysia (Astro); Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam (ESPN Star); Japan (J Sports); New Zealand (Sky Sports); Australia (Speed TV); Thailand (Truevision) North and Latin America Argentina (Channel 12); Brazil (ESPN); Latin America (Fox Sports) International Worldwide (Reuters, SNTV)