Loeb likely to set cat among the pigeons at Spanish rally
John Floyd
It has been a hard fought World Rally Championship season and this weekend’s Rally de España could be the turning point.
The ceremonial start tomorrow night in the coastal town of Salou will follow the usual shakedown for the teams before they tackle Friday’s gravel stages and Saturday and Sunday’s move to smooth tarmac roads.
The 64 competitors face a total distance of 1 288km including 17 special stages totalling 325km.
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT on 340 points hold a slender eightpoint lead over second place Toyota Gazoo Racing (332 points) in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Hyundai team members Andreas Mikkelsen (102 points) and
Craig Breen (10 points) are replaced by local heroes Sebastien Loeb (39 points) and Dani Sordo (72 points), both tarmac specialists.
Loeb has the very impressive record in his local rally of having won the event every year from 2005 to 2012.
Third in the Manufacturers’ chase is Citroen Total WRT (278 points) with M-Sport Ford WRT 78 points further back.
Thierry Neuville leads the Hyundai charge with Sordo and Loeb and is currently third in the Drivers’ championship on 199 points, trailing leading driver Ott Tanak (Gazoo Toyota) and second placed Sebastien Ogier (Citroen).
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT are fighting to retain the Manufacturers’ title and, as usual, field Tanak (240 points) Kris Meeke (98 points) and Jari-Matti Latvala (84 points).
Tanak is on the hunt for his first WRC Drivers’ championship and will certainly be a man on a mission.
Citroen Total WRT enter the rally with reigning WRC Champion Ogier (212 points) and Esapekka Lappi (83 points) hoping to emulate the team’s one-two in Turkey.
If Tanak fails to take the title in Spain then Citroen have entered a third car for the final rally in Australia to be driven by Mads Ostberg in an attempt to take points from Tanak and Neuville and bring the crown to Ogier.
Elfyn Evans (90 points) and Teemu Suninen (83 points) will make up the M-Sport Ford WRT and hope to boost the team’s points tally.