OGIER TEES UP WRC CROWN WITH SPANISH PODIUM
Sebastien Ogier knows that victory at Britain’s round of the Word Rally Championship in just over two weeks will be enough for him to take a fifth straight drivers’ title.
The Frenchman finished second to Britain’s Kris Meeke at last week’s Rally of Spain, a result which moves him 37 points clear at the top of the table with two events left to run. Ogier insists clinching the title on Deeside had always been his aim.
“I didn’t want to go to the last rally in Australia and still be fighting for the championship,” he said. When the Coffs Harbourbased Rally Australia took over from Wales Rally GB as the season finale last year, Ogier pointed out the potential problems.
He added: “The road cleaning is really bad on that rally and to go there and fight in those conditions, with the championship leader having to drive [in the worst conditions] at the front on the first day, it wouldn’t be so good.”
Ogier’s championship chances were boosted by Thierry Neuville’s final-day departure after the Belgian broke the suspension on his Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC. Arriving in Spain, Neuville was 17 points behind the defending champion, but now Ogier’s closest rival is teammate Ott Tanak. Neuville is one point behind the Estonian.
“We’ve taken a really positive step towards the championship this weekend,” said Ogier. “I think we were on course to extend the lead anyway, but with Thierry’s mistake that changed the picture completely and we’ve been able to extend the gap even more.”
A double podium for Ogier and Tanak in Salou virtually sealed the manufacturers’ championship for M-sport, with just four points needed in Wales for Malcolm Wilson’s team to take a first world title in 10 years.
“I think we can begin to plan a little party for the home round for the team,” smiled Ogier.
But for his own title aspirations, Ogier knows he has to leave Deeside at least 30 points ahead of his two rivals.
Ogier’s team-mate Tanak admitted the deal was as good as done for the Frenchman.
“There will be a big fight for second place in the drivers’ championship,” he said. “But Sebastien is pretty safe. The good thing for us is that we are in second and that means we’re in a better place on the road if it rains in Wales.”
M-sport team principal Wilson admitted the result in Spain was like a win.
“To come away with another double podium is fantastic for us,” he said. “If, at the start of the season, you’d told me we’d have been leading the manufacturers’ and had our drivers 1-2 – and with Elfyn [Evans] really close to fifth place – coming into the penultimate round of the championship, I’m not sure I would have believed you.
“The team has worked so hard for this and I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved so far.”
Wilson went on to praise rally winner and fellow Brit, Citroen’s Kris Meeke.
“It’s been a good weekend for the Brits in Spain,” he said. “Fair play, Kris and Paul [Nagle] have done a very good job. Rich [Millener, M-sport deputy team principal] and I said before the start that this one could be Kris’s rally and he’s done a great job.”
While Ogier ended the opening day on gravel just ahead of Meeke – and just behind surprise leader, Hyundai new boy Andreas Mikkelsen – he admitted he
couldn’t stay with the Northern Irishman’s Citroen on asphalt.
“We were never really in a position where we had to take all the risks,” said Ogier, “but we still had to keep a good rhythm. There was no chance to fight with Kris [Meeke] as he was just on another level on the Tarmac.”
Meeke’s second win of the season lifted the mood and the morale in the Citroen team, with a watching Citroen CEO Linda Jackson full of praise for her squad.
“This result is absolutely enormous,” she said. “Kris won in Mexico, but then it’s been a very difficult year with a lot of frustration. The team has worked very hard but not been able to be successful – there’s a whole lot of emotion going around, but this is a great win for Kris, Paul and all of us in the team.”
A delighted Meeke warned, however, that success in Spain wouldn’t necessarily translate into a better chance for a maiden home win in Wales.
“We know the car is strong on these kind of roads we had in Spain,” he said. “The profile of the gravel is similar to Mexico and we know the car works there and it’s strong on Tarmac. It’s a different story in Wales, the conditions will be different. If we were in for an Indian summer with 20 degrees and sunshine every day between now and the end of the month, it might be a different story – but traditionally the further back on the road you are in Wales at this time of the year, the tougher the conditions get.
“We’ve heard Tanak talking about moving up from third on the road to second on the road improving his chances [in Wales] – and we’re going to be 10th or something! This win doesn’t change anything overnight. It’s fantastic for the team, for confidence and everything like that, but still we know we have some work to do with the car.”
Citroen’s decision to run its preRally GB test in south-west France won’t help Meeke’s chances either.
“The conditions are quite similar down there,” said Meeke, “but it’s not Wales.”