Sebastien Loeb will be joining up with Peugeot to take on the Pikes peak challenge with the 208 T16.
Below is a video teaser of his car. By PeugeotSportOfficial
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?sns=em&v=35wRM_6B9PU&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D35wRM_6B9PU%26sns%3Dem
After his Hat-trick of wins in Sweden, Mexico and Portugal and his 2nd place in Monte Carlo, Frenchman Sebastien Ogier leads the way in tha drivars standings with a huge 102 points ahead of Citroens Mikko Hirvonen. Hirvonen is around to rally wins away from the Championsip leader.
Photo:D.Darrall
Drivers’ Championship Standings:
1. Ogier 102
2.Hirvonen 48
3. Loeb 43
4. Ostberg 32
5. Latvala 31
6. Sordo 27
7. Neuville 25
8. Prokop 20
9. Al-Attiyah 20
10. Novikov 15
Volkwagen’s Sebastien Ogier took his third win in a row on WRC’s 4th round in Rally Portugal.
Ogier took the win by 58.2sec from Citroen Total Abu Dhabi team driver Mikko Hirvonen in a Citroen DS3. The result extended Ogier’s lead in the FIA Drivers’ Championship and he now has 102 points, 54 ahead of Hirvonen in second.
Photo:D.Darrall
Ogier took the lead after Stage 3 on Friday, day 1 of the Rally After Qatar M-Sport Driver Mads Ostberg crashed and Rolled out of the lead and the rally. He led from then on to the end of the rally, However on the morning of day 3, Clutch problems closed the gap between the frenchman and Citroen Driver Mikko Hirvonen to within 39 seconds. But the 29 year old never allowed that to stop him, and he went on to not only win the rally and also took three bonus championship points on the final Power Stage.
At the end of the Rally Ogier said, “It’s a perfect result but this week has been really complicated for us,” he said. “I came here on Monday and wasn’t even sure I would be able to do the rally – I was completely kaput. The team has done a good job because this was a very rough rally and we have had many small problems. They managed to fix the car all the time so big congratulations to them. Today was more than stressful for me, and at the start of the first one I thought the rally was over because the clutch was slipping. Finally it came back. It was a kind of miracle,”
Volkswagen started Day 3 on track for a 1-2 finish, with Jari-Matti Latvala second in another Polo R. But like Ogier, Latvala also hit trouble on the opening stage. A broken driveshaft cost the Finn more than four minutes and he lost his place to Hirvonen.
Photo:D.Darrall
“It’s been a tough day and a tough rally,” said Hirvonen. “A podium is okay but I wasn’t happy with my pace this weekend. We weren’t fast enough so we must keep working to try and improve.”
His car fixed at the midpoint service, Latvala went on to finish 3m06s behind Hirvonen. He rounded off the rally with a bonus point on the Power Stage and was delighted by his new-found confidence in the Polo R.“Third place is my first podium with Volkswagen so I’m happy with that,” said Latvala. “I had a really good run in the Power Stage and I’m feeling pretty satisfied with the rally. So far this year I think I have been in taxi mode. This weekend I decided to force myself to start delivering results. From Argentina onwards I hope to be right there, fighting for victories” he added.
Evgeny Novikov was fourth in a Fiesta RS, more than a minute behind Latvala. The Russian finished 5m27s off Ogier’s lead and was still unable to explain his lack of pace this weekend. “Okay, fourth place is very good for us in the championship. We tried to take what we could. Now we must look at getting quicker. I have some ideas,” he said.
A consistent drive netted Nasser Al-Attiyah fifth in another Fiesta RS. The Qatari completed 2m25s behind Novikov and put his experience of cross-country rallying to good effect on the tough Portuguese stages. “I’m really happy with the performance this weekend. It’s been hard but I enjoyed it and am looking forward to my next race,” he said.
Andreas Mikkelsen was sixth on his first event in Volkswagen’s Polo R. Adapting from Super 2000 to World Rally Car machinery, the Norwegian youngster was satisfied with what he had achieved. “There are still many more rounds to go and I’m looking forward to Argentina and learning some more,” he said.
Dennis Kuipers was on course to finish seventh until his Ford Fiesta RS developed an engine problem at the end of SS14. The Dutchman retired on the road section to SS15.
This moved Martin Prokop to seventh in a Fiesta RS while Ostberg in a similar car salvaged four points for eighth after restarting on Saturday. “Overall the times were good, and even with the crash it’s been a positive event for me,” said Ostberg, who also collected two bonus points for finishing second on the Power Stage. Khalid Al Qassimi was ninth with WRC-2 winner Esapekka Lappi tenth in a Skoda Fabia S2000 to take the final drivers’ championship point. Michal Kosciuszko joined Kuipers as a last-minute retirement from Portugal. The Pole stopped 7km into the final stage when the gearbox in his Mini JCW broke. He had been 12th.
The next round of the World Rally Championship starts in less that three weeks when Rally Argentina gets underway on 1 May.
Source: WRC.com
MOLLY TAYLOR BEFORE SATA RALLY ACORES – EUROPEAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
HOPES AND GOALS OF THE YOUNG AND DETERMINED AUSTRALIAN LADY DRIVER
1- How would You describe yourself and your rallying career so far?
I would describe myself as a competitive and determined person. I began competing in Australia in 2005 before moving to the UK in 2009 to compete in the British Rally Championship. From there my rally career has been a bit of a whirlwind, winning a Pirelli Star Driver scholarship in 2011 and now working with United Business from 2012. Rallying is my whole life and I enjoy the challenge and working hard to reach my goals.
2- How was your 2012 season?
2012 was a crucial year for me, establishing a partnership with United Business and setting a solid foundation for our 2013 season. Although we only competed in a limited program of events, it was an opportunity to gain experience with the Citroen DS3 R3T and benchmark ourselves against some of the top young 2WD drivers to show what we are capable of.
3- How important is it to have a management company behind You?
Why/how did You choose yours, and in which way(s) does it assist?
My goal is to be a professional driver and to do this successfully it is important to have the support of a professional management company. United Business took a chance with me last year and it’s exciting to be able to work and grow with a team who believes in you. To be able to look at my career from a more strategic perspective and having the resources behind me to be able to work towards a long term plan is a key part to realising my goals.
4- What lays behind the choice of the ERC in 2013? Do you know any of the events/opponents and what do You expect from this year?
The ERC was the logical step for us. There is a great mix of events providing a real challenge for any young driver wanting to learn and improve. Ypres is the only event I have done before so this year will be about getting experience and I am looking forward to stepping up and continuing to improve. The media coverage the Championship receives from Eurosport was also an important consideration, enabling us to provide a valuable return to our partners and build my profile for the future.
5- How are You preparing for the new season?
I spent 4 months back in Australia over the Australian summer where I was able to work at a rally school and compete in a few small track days to get some extra time behind the wheel. I have also been doing a lot of fitness training. I am now back in Europe spending time in the teams’ workshop with the car in the lead up to the Acores to further my knowledge.
6- Can You tell us something about your car?
This year I will be competing in the Citroen DS3 R3T. It really is a great package for any young driver. Despite only being 2WD, the handling is very impressive, especially on the higher speed roads, it’s a nice feeling to drive! The flexibility in the set up is also a great point, allowing me to learn more about car set up and how to work with this to get the most out of yourself and the car.
7- How would You describe your codriver?
Seb is one of the most organised and professional people I know. We have been competing together for almost 2 years now and have worked on and developed our notes together as a team, which is so important. He also has an incredible memory, on one event we had to stop for a flat tyre in a stage and when we got going again he called the next few corners just off his memory before he needed to look at the pacenote book!
8- What is your best rallying souvenir?
I’m not sure if its my best, but my favourite would probably be a power steering belt which came off a little car I was rallying in Australia about 7 years ago. It was at a small grass autocross event and we were going well before the belt came off halfway through one of the runs. It was a tight course and very muddy, the steering was so heavy I was having to use the handbrake to turn. For some reason I kept it as a memento and its been hanging in my room ever since, so I’ve become a bit sentimental to it.
9. If you could choose any event and any rally car to do it in, what would you pick and why?
I would have loved to do the Safari Rally in a WRC Focus. I think it would just be the most incredible adventure.
10- What are your goals for this year and for the future?
My aim for this year is to be at the top of the ERC 2WD and Ladies Championships. My goal is to become a professional rally driver and working with United Business is enabling me to realise this sooner than I thought possible. Ultimately our aim is to continue to work with United Business to reach the top at the outright level.
Credit: United Racing Press
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