Most liked posts in thread: WRC: Germany 2013

Steve · Aug 22, 2013

After a short Day 1, a minute covers the top 10 with Ogier 1st and Kubica leading WRC2 and running 10th overall.

Ogier leads in Germany after Thursdayâ€™s stages (WRC.com)

22 Aug 13

Stage description:

SS2 Sauertal (14.10 kilometres)

Sauertal is another new stage and similar to the opening test. It runs through the hilly Eifel countryside, close to the Luxembourg border. If the opening stage didnâ€™t wake up drivers, this will as the opening 3.8km are all about big speed and fast corners. The roads vary from narrow to wide and the surface is good for most of the test.

How the action unfolded:

Volkswagenâ€™s Sebastien Ogier holds a 5.7sec overnight lead of ADAC Rallye Deutschland after the opening two stages run this afternoon in the countryside south of Cologne.

Ogier was first to tackle Thursdayâ€™s second ashalt test, the brand new Sauertal, and arrived at the finish control in his Polo R World Rally Car with a grin on his face.

â€œThat was better than the first one,â€ said the Frenchman, who was fastest on both of Thursday's tests. â€œI think the first stage was hard for everyone because there was no grip, but this was much better and I had more fun. Okay, not a bad start but itâ€™s just the beginning. The real rally starts tomorrow.â€

Ogierâ€™s team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala was second quickest, to lie 5.7sec adrift in the overall standings and secure a perfect one-two for Volkswagen at the end of the first day of the manufacturerâ€™s home rally.

â€œThe dust on the first stage made it tricky but clearly this was much better,â€ said Latvala. â€œGenerally a good run for me, braking too early in a couple of places, but better.â€

Third quickest, as he had been on stage one, was Ford Fiesta RS driver Thierry Neuville of the Qatar World Rally Team. â€œA much faster road, and less dirty too â€“ the car is working well,â€ he said. The Belgian will start tomorrowâ€™s competition 7.0sec behind Latvala.

Dani Sordo is fourth, 7.8sec behind Neuville, and the first of the Citroen works team drivers. The Spaniardâ€™s DS3 sported some light bodywork damage on its left-hand front corner.

â€œIt happened on a hairpin, it's nothing important,â€ said Sordo, who was more concerned by the pace of the cars ahead. â€œI hoped my time would be better. Iâ€™m very surprised by how fast they are, to be honest. I donâ€™t feel bad in the stage, the car felt okay, but the times are different. Weâ€™ll see how we go tomorrow.â€

Mikko Hirvonen was fifth fastest, to hold the same position overall, 5.2sec behind Sordo. After a cautious start, the Finn is hopeful he can find more speed on Friday. â€œI just have to be braver over the cuts,â€ he said. â€œBut okay, at least thereâ€™s room for improvement.â€

A frustrated Mads Ostberg completed in the sixth fastest time, 8.9sec slower than Ogier, in his Fiesta RS. â€œOkay, a little bit better, but I struggled to find the rhythm and I donâ€™t know why,â€ the Norwegian explained. â€œThe pace notes are good, we changed the settings and the car works better, but still I struggled. I canâ€™t push because I donâ€™t have the confidence to do it yet.â€

Nasser Al Attiyah is seventh, with Martin Prokop, still troubled by a lack of braking feeling, eighth. Michal Kosciuszko is ninth with Khalid Al Qassimi 14th and the final WRC runner following the earlier retirements of Evgeny Novikov and P-G Andersson.

After the overnight halt in Trier, the rally restarts on Friday at 0930hrs, with the first stage, the 22.95km Mittelmosel, scheduled to get underway at 1043hrs.

WRC 2

In the WRC 2 category, Robert Kubica was fastest on both stages to open a 14.9sec lead in his Citroen DS3 RRC over Elfyn Evans. Evansâ€™ Fiesta R5 is 8.3sec clear of local boy Sepp Wiegand in a Skoda Fabia S2000.

WRC 3

Less than six seconds cover the leading trio in the WRC 3 category after the opening two stages. Championship leader Sebastien Chardonnet was fastest through the opening test in his Citroen DS3R3 to lead Christian Riedemann by 3.3sec. Frenchman Quentin Gilbert lies third, a further 2.2sec behind.

Junior WRC

Jose Suarez leads the Junior WRC category, the Spaniard holding a 10.7sec advantage over Championhisp leader Pontus Tidemenand. Suarez was quickest in the first stage but fellow countryman Jeray Lemes was quickest in the second and he lies 2.0sec behind Tidemand in third.
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WRC 2: Kubica draws first blood (WRC.com)

22 Aug 13

Robert Kubica was fastest on both this evening's stages at ADAC Rallye Deutschland to open a 14.9sec lead in the WRC 2 category in his Citroen DS3 RRC.

Elfyn Evans was second in both tests in a Ford Fiesta R5 and the young Welshman has an 8.3sec advantage over Sepp Wiegandâ€™s Skoda Fabia S2000.

â€œIt feels like weâ€™re struggling a bit going uphill,â€ said Kubica. â€œMaybe itâ€™s the wide roads because it feels a little slow under acceleration. I have to get used to it because Iâ€™m thinking about what it was like in Formula 1.â€

Evans had no major issues while Wiegand felt he may have broken a driveshaft or differential in SS2. â€œThere was a strange feeling on the right of the car. When I braked, the car went sideways all the time,â€ explained the German driver.

Fellow countryman Armin Kremer is fourth in a Ford Fiesta RRC, 39.8sec off the lead, with Subhan Aksa and Hayden Paddon completing the top six.

Paddon dropped 90sec in SS1 after losing the power steering in his Skoda Fabia after just 2km. â€œIt turned out to be the alternator belt,â€ said the New Zealand driver. â€œWe fitted another after the stage and it was fine. Itâ€™s frustrating but in Finland we lost more time than this and got onto the podium.â€

Eyvind Brynildsen lies seventh but the Norwegian was visibly shocked after a frightening incident near the finish of SS2.

â€œIâ€™m so lucky,â€ he said. â€œI was flat out on the rev limiter in a downhill section into a junction right when I went to brake and the throttle jammed open. There was no way I could take the bend at that speed and there was a wall in front of me. It was scary.â€

He managed to turn the engine off in the nick of time and although his Fiesta R5 hit the wall, the damage wasnâ€™t serious. After resetting the engine, Brynildsen continued with the loss of almost 90sec.

Robert Barrable retired his Fiesta R5 in the opening stage after going off the road. The accident damaged the carâ€™s radiator and Barrable decided to stop rather than risk damaging the engine.

Karl Kruuda stopped after a bizarre incident at the start in Cologne. His Fiesta R5 fell off the podium, breaking a track control arm. The Estonian tried to make repairs but was forced to admit defeat en route to the first stage and retired.
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Steve · Aug 23, 2013

Latvala heads tight fight after day 2 in Germany (WRC.com)

23 Aug 12

Volkswagen's Jari-Matti Latvala has a slender 7.3sec lead of ADAC Rallye Deutschland at the end of a thrilling second day, during which he fended off a determined attack from Ford Fiesta RS driver Thierry Neuville.

Latvala took the lead on todayâ€™s opening stage after his team-mate Sebastien Ogier went off, breaking the front suspension on his Polo R and retiring shortly after.

Inheriting a lead of less than six seconds, Latvala was under pressure in the morning loop, losing time on all three stages to Neuville. But after car set-up changes in service, the increasingly confident Finn upped his pace on the drier afternoon stages, and ended the day with two fastest times.

â€œI have to be honest, I really enjoyed driving the last two,â€ said Latvala. â€œThe car is really nice at the moment and I love it. Okay, itâ€™s not easy, but I think weâ€™re going in the right direction. For tomorrow I donâ€™t know. Weâ€™re expecting rain and on this rally you never know what that might bring.â€

On his preferred road surface, Neuville has never looked closer to his first WRC victory, but the 25-year-old Belgian admitted he didnâ€™t have anything else in reserve.

â€œOn the last two stages I was at the maximum, flat-out everywhere - I canâ€™t do more,â€ he said. â€œI was pushing like hell. No mistakes, always very fast and sideways but thatâ€™s what you need to do here. It's big, big fun but when I see the split times Iâ€™m a little bit frustrated.â€

Citroenâ€™s Dani Sordo is best of the rest in third, 19sec behind Neuville. The Spaniard lost time on SS9 when he braked too late for a hairpin but otherwise had a good day â€“ especially after stiffening the suspension of his DS3 after Stage 5.

However, even with two days of the rally still to go Sordo isnâ€™t optimistic about catching Latvala. â€œI think itâ€™s impossible, no? Heâ€™s going very, very fast,â€ he said. â€œI tried to catch but unless something happens I think it will be very, very difficult.â€

Sordoâ€™s team-mate Mikko Hirvonen is fourth - the place in which he finished most of todayâ€™s stages. The Finn had a troublefree day, but without the outright speed to challenge those ahead he is resigned to lying in wait in case they hit trouble.

â€œCâ€™est la via,â€ shrugged Hirvonen. â€œThey are fast and quite far ahead at the moment. Iâ€™m happy with the car and the pace I have, all I can do is try and hang on in there. You never know what might happenâ€¦â€

Behind the top four, there is a 1min 24sec gap to a downcast Mads Ostberg in fifth. The Norwegian tinkered with the set-up of his Fiesta RS throughout the day but is yet to find a set-up that gives him the confidence to push.

â€œWe cannot expect ourselves to be at the speed of the others like this. We have to focus and improve step by step to find the confidence,â€™ he said.

Behind Ostberg is a big 2min 5sec gap to Martin Prokop in sixth - the Czech baffled by his lack of pace. â€œIâ€™m trying my best, the feeling is okay, and Iâ€™m enjoying the driving but the times aren't good,â€ he said. â€œSomething must be wrong but I donâ€™t know what. It's not great for the motivation.â€

Ford Fiesta RS driver Nasser Al-Attiyah is seventh, with WRC 2 leader Robert Kubica eighth in a Citroen DS3 RRC.

Khalid Al Qassimi is 12th, with the returning Evgeny Novikov 16th and the last WRC runner after the retirements of P-G Andersson with a mechanical problem and Michal Kosciuszko who withdrew after jarring his back on SS3.

WRC 2

Robert Kubica continues to lead the WRC 2 category after the second leg of ADAC Rallye Deutschland but the Pole has been unable to shake off Elfyn Evans. Kubica holds a 12.4sec advantage in his Citroen DS3 RRC over Evansâ€™ Ford Fiesta R5 and the two frontrunners have built a sizeable gap over Sepp Wiegandâ€™s Skoda Fabia S2000 in third.

WRC 3

Sebastien Chardonnet leads Keith Cronin by 1min 56.0sec after a day that decimated the field. Leg 1 leader Chardonnet maintained his momentum until he hit a dog this afternoon. The impact damaged the radiator of his Citroen DS3 R3 and he dropped 45sec in the final two stages as he nursed the car back to Trier. The only other survivor is Mohammed Al Mutawaa, more than 12 minutes behind Cronin.

JWRC

Championship leader Pontus Tidemand took charge of the JWRC category when overnight leader Jose Suarez went off the road this morning and dropped almost five minutes. Yeray Lemes was hot on Tidemand's heels but gearchange issues left the Spaniard's Ford Fiesta R2 stuck in fifth gear and he plummeted to fifth. Michael Burri is second, 2min 24.6sec behind Tidemand, with Marius Aasen a further 16.0sec back in third.
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minirab · Aug 24, 2013

Thanks Steve!

Nathan · Aug 24, 2013

Again Steve keeps us up to date with the world of Rally. Woo Hoo Thanks Steve

Steve · Aug 24, 2013

And then this happens. Damn.

Rallye Deutschland fatalities confirmed (MaxRally.com)

by Anthony Peacock / 24th August 2013

A statement by the Rallye Deutschland organisers has confirmed the death of two competitors in the historic section of the event, both from Holland. No other people were involved. The Dutchmen were driving an ex-Tony Pond Triumph TR7 V8, and the accident took place on the Panzerplatte stage, very close to the famous jump known as Gina â€“ which competitors normally tackle at some speed.

These people werenâ€™t competing though, as the historics on this event were not taking any times. Itâ€™s useless to speculate on the causes of the accident, and especially on the number or whereabouts of victims in the immediate aftermath (something that seemed to be quite in vogue via the medium of Twitter shortly afterwards).

Suffice it to say that the historic group on this rally is populated entirely by passionate and knowledgeable enthusiasts, with a very healthy respect for their cars. Their events are organised impeccably: a bit like the whole rally itself in fact. The historic cars in question are maintained unstintingly to period specification: itâ€™s something the owners take great pride in. And the organisers of this historic group take their responsibilities towards each other just as seriously as the main field: if not more so. We know this from personal experience.

There will of course be a full investigation into this tragic accident, and almost certainly it will conclude it was just that: an accident. There are always lessons that can be learned from any sad occurrence such as this one, but in the meantime, the only appropriate response is simply to pass on sincere condolences to everyone affected and remember the enjoyment that the people who died gave all of us, through indulging their passion.

The rally continues tomorrow, as the driver and co-driver involved in the accident undoubtedly would have wanted.
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minirab · Aug 24, 2013

So sad, I feel for the families involved but again its better than laying in

some hospital for weeks/months on end waiting. I can say this because

I'm a cancer survivor and if I had my choice that's the way to go.

Steve · Aug 24, 2013

No surprise, given the unfortunate news today there are less stories and less videos posted so far. I suspect there will be more soon as the sun rises over there on another day but for now here is an update.

Dani Sordo is making the Citroen team's decisions about their 2014 driver line-up even more difficult. He wasn't close to his teammate (Hirvonen) last rally but now he's almost a minute and a half ahead of him and, though he has mishaps of others to thank, he's leading the rally.

Sordo leads Rally Germany as crash curtails day (Racer.com)

August 24, 2013

Dani Sordo goes into the final day of Rally Germany with a slender lead over Thierry Neuville, after a fatal accident in a support event brought Saturday to an early end.

Neuville and erstwhile event leader Jari-Matti Latvala both encountered problems on Saturday afternoon.

The Volkswagen driver began the second loop of stages with a 14.8-second advantage over Neuville, but things soon went awry on the Stein & Wein test when his co-driver's door failed to close. He then made slow progress through the 26.5km stage before coming to an abrupt halt after hitting an obstacle that resulted in his retirement.

The Finn will return for Sunday's two stages under Rally2 conditions. His misfortune temporarily promoted Neuville into the lead of the event â€“ ahead of Sordo â€“ but a malfunctioning exhaust and a fencepost lodged under the Belgian's M-Ford Fiesta resulted in him losing time through the Peterberg stage.

It now means that Sordo has a slender 0.8sec advantage over Neuville going into tomorrow's final two stages as this afternoon's Panzerplatte was canceled due to the fatal crash earlier in the day.

Behind the top two, there is a 1m27.6s gap to a downcast Mikko Hirvonen, who bemoaned the slippery conditions he faced during both stages. Martin Prokop is next of the best WRC runners in fourth, with Robert Kubica now fifth overall after trading quickest times this afternoon with Elfyn Evans in WRC2.
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WRC.com headlines (linked to stories):

SS9: Sordo flies on Saturdayâ€™s opener

SS10: Latvala edges further ahead

SS11: Lucky escape for Latvala

Torrential rain adds twist in Trier

SS12: Latvala out, Neuville in trouble

SS13: Sordo takes the rally lead

Crash due to broken door, says Latvala

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm6YBgz1zuA]Leg 3 (Latvala and Neuville crashes) - 2013 WRC Rallye Deutschland - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq76pZUfg70]WRC ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2013 - Novikov crash - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 25, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L87kB7LtA54]WRC Rally Germany - Day 2&3 2013 (Crash + hot moment) - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 25, 2013

Deutschland: Sordo triumphs at last! (best-of-rallylive.com)

25/08/2013 1:40 pm

CitroÃ«n/Michelinâ€™s Dani Sordo came out on top after a tense finale in Germany to claim the first world class victory of his career. The Spaniard kept his nerve to beat Belgiumâ€™s Thierry Neuville (2nd, Ford/Michelin) who delivered another mature performance to go clear second in the Driversâ€™ standings. Mikko Hirvonen was a distant third (+2m36s) but pocketed valuable Manufacturersâ€™ points for CitroÃ«n. The French make also won the WRC-2 and WRC-3 battles, with Kubica and Chardonnet.

The 2013 Rallye Deutschland produced an exceptional last day which was always going to see one man become the 72nd driver to claim a WRC victory. When action resumed this morning (Sunday), Sordo and Neuville were split by just 0.8s, but the Spaniard took the spoils after the Belgianâ€™s push resulted in a big â€˜momentâ€™ on the final sector. The final gap between the two was 53 seconds.

It was an emotional moment for Sordo, 30, who has waited 107 WRC rallies and seven years since his debut with CitroÃ«n for todayâ€™s success. Prior to this weekend, his record included 20 second places, including three in Germany where his speed even deserved victory over his team-mate of the day, SÃ©bastien Loeb.

â€œI am really happy. It was a good rally and very close. I didnâ€™t make any mistakes,â€ he smiled as he sipped champagne and shook hands with his mechanics and team. He seemed intent on sidestepping all questions about his long wait for this win, however.

Having felt victory within reach at one point, Neuville (Qatar WRT) was obviously disappointed after the extraordinary climax, but the result takes him clear second in the Driversâ€™ championship. It will also be a welcome breath of fresh air for the Malcolm Wilson-run Ford operation.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen Motorsport failed to add a home victory to its successful debut WRC season. Jari-Matti Latvala (7th) and SÃ©bastien Ogier (16th) both crashed out of enviable leads, on Saturday and Friday respectively. The Frenchman salvaged the three Power Stage points and could well sew up the Driversâ€™ title in Australia (September 12-15).

In the Manufacturersâ€™ standings, CitroÃ«n has closed the gap to VW to 22 points thanks to Mikko Hirvonen who was a passive third in Trier today.

Qatar M Sport WRTâ€™s nominated drivers Mads Ostberg and Evgeny Novikov were both relieved to put Germany behind them. The Norwegian never found the secret of a good set-up for his Fiesta WRC and he ended up crashing on Saturday afternoon, while his team-mate went off on SS1. The Russian re-joined on Day 2 thanks to the â€˜Rally2â€™ ruling but his heart was never in hit.

All this enabled the Czech Republicâ€™s reliable Martin Prokop (Ford) to equal his best ever WRC result (fourth).

The many incidents enabled the top WRC-2 runners to emerge in prominent positions. Robert Kubica (CitroÃ«n) and Elfyn Evans (Ford) were fifth and sixth overall respectively after a duel that saw them trade the class lead several times. The Pole ended up claiming his third WRC-2 win of the season after a big push on the last day. However, the Welshman will be able to tell his friends that he put a Formula 1 Grand Prix winner under pressure all the way to the flag!

There was little suspense in WRC-3 which was won with ease by SÃ©bastien Chardonnet (CitroÃ«n). The Frenchman completed the last stage well clear of second-placed Keith Cronin (+3m45.6s!), while Christian Riedemann (3rd) and Quentin Gilbert were delayed by a variety of problems.

The top Junior-WRC prize, which ended on Saturday, went to the promising Pontus Tidemand (Ford) who was threatened by Jose Suarez until the Spaniard crashed.
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WRC 2: Kubica win nets championship lead (WRC.com)

25 Aug 13

Robert Kubica took victory in the WRC 2 class of Rallye Deutschland after a thrilling battle with Welsh youngster Elfyn Evans.

The duel between the two was finally settled in the Poleâ€™s favour by just 12.9sec, while Hayden Paddon from New Zealand was third, 3min 47sec further back.

The ex-Formula 1 driver was the early pace-setter in his Citroen DS3 RRC, fending off Evansâ€™ Fiesta R5 until stage nine on Saturday when the reigning WRC Academy champion edged ahead.

The class lead swapped four times that day, with Kubica emerging with a 7.8sec advantage ahead of todayâ€™s final two stages. The win was Kubicaâ€™s third in his debut WRC 2 season - his first on tarmac - and moves him into the lead of the championship with four rallies remaining.

â€œIt has been a good rally and a completely different type of tarmac to what Iâ€™m used to,â€ said Kubica, who revealed that it nearly all went wrong on the last stage.

â€œI was very nervous because we heard some noise in the transmission. I got distracted and missed a braking point,â€ he said. â€œAlso the brake pedal wasnâ€™t so good so we had some diff or transmission problems. Fortunately we are here - so all good.â€

Evans, 24, was one of the first to congratulate his rival at the finish control. â€œIt's been great,â€ he said. â€œOkay, weâ€™ve had a few ups and downs and weâ€™ve lost a few seconds here and there with various issues, but itâ€™s been a fantastic fight with Robert and Iâ€™m looking forward to France very, very much.â€

Paddon was satisfied with third in his S2000 specification Skoda Fabia â€“ especially after a broken alternator belt almost took him out of the competition on the opening day.

â€œOverall it's been a good weekend, and I think even if we didnâ€™t have the problem would have finished in the same position,â€ he said.

â€œWeâ€™ve achieved everything we can. We canâ€™t compete with the guys with turbos at this stage but Iâ€™m pleased with our pace. Iâ€™ve driven one of those cars and I know the difference - so itâ€™s encouraging for the future I think.â€

Local favourite Sepp Wiegand was fourth in another Skoda Fabia, but more than 10 minutes behind the lead trio after going off into a tree on Stage 12 and breaking his carâ€™s suspension. Despite the incident, Wiegand remained positive about his weekend.

â€œI think it was good â€“ especially the fight with Hayden yesterday,â€ he said. â€œAfter my crash I didnâ€™t fight because it made no sense with such a big gap. Fourth place is better than nothingâ€¦â€

Karl Kruuda, who became the rallyâ€™s first retirement when his car fell off the start ramp on Thursday, was fifth. Rashid Al Ketbi was sixth, with Ricardo Trivino seventh, Marco Vallario eighth and Carlos Fessman the final WRC 2 runner in ninth.
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Steve · Aug 26, 2013

The MAXRALLY Deutschland wrap (MaxRally.com)

by Anthony Peacock / 26th August 2013

You used to read Anthony Peacockâ€™s post-event reviews on WRC.com but, following a close-season switch, Anthonyâ€™s exclusive analysis of each round of the world championship is now only available at MAXRALLY.

It had to happen at some point. For the first time in history, a Frenchman called Sebastien didnâ€™t win a WRC round in Germany and for the first time this year a Volkswagen didnâ€™t end up on the podium. But those who believe that any form of change is the work the of the devil will be comforted to know that a Citroen has won for the 11th time, with no other manufacturer getting a look in at Germanyâ€™s round of the championship.

Volkswagenâ€™s aim was very much to upset that form book this year, which is why they shipped in 150 or so VIP guests to watch it happen, transported in a fleet of 10 helicopters and 30 smart silver Caravelles.

And those guests certainly got value for money, as they saw not just one but two Volkswagens lead the rally. Itâ€™s just a shame that they both crashed out.
The disaster should be seen very much in context though.

Sebastien Ogier will win the driversâ€™ championship this year, possibly in Australia if he can extend his overall lead from 75 to 84 points. And the Polo R WRC set fastest time on eight of the 15 stages that were run.

Retrospect is a wonderful viewpoint, but the biggest shame for the German squad was actually the massive missed opportunity for Andreas Mikkelsen.
Thereâ€™s no guarantee obviously that he would not have had problems of his own, but on the face of it, this was a chance to finish on the podium. Letâ€™s face it, Martin Prokop finished fourth and thereâ€™s no question that Mikkelsen would have beaten him. Mikko Hirvonen â€“ the man who has finished his last five asphalt rounds on the podium â€“ would have been a tougher proposition, but Mikkelsen would definitely have given it a go, which would have added to the new generation feel of the podium.

Not that Sordo, young as he is at just 30 really counts as part of the new generation. It took him 107 rallies to stand on the top step of the podium, although it should have happened a lot sooner, had politics not got in the way. And he may yet be bitten once more by the hand that feeds him, as Citroen team principal Yves Matton pointed out that not even victory in Germany would necessarily guarantee him a seat next year.

For once, Dani didnâ€™t seem to be particularly bothered though. â€œIf it helps me get a seat next year then thatâ€™s fantastic, but if not then thatâ€™s life,â€ he concluded. â€œItâ€™s just nice to have this win for what it is.â€

And in the relentlessly career-focused atmosphere of the service park, thatâ€™s a refreshing attitude. Dani can now speak with the liberated mentality of a man who knows he has done the best that he can; the rest is completely out of his hands â€“ particularly as he isnâ€™t going to Australia. In other words, which he would understand more easily, que sera, sera.

And thereâ€™s no doubt that the best man won in Germany, because as impressive as his drive was, Thierry Neuville was lucky to get away with a couple of potentially rally-ending mistakes: jamming a log under his car on Saturday, flattening his exhaust, but not having to do Panzerplatte (which would have cost him around half a minute under the circumstances) and then slithering fully off the road on the final part of the last stage, and somehow finding his way back. At least he went down fighting, and everyone absolutely loves that. But Neuville was the first to acknowledge that he owed a lot of this result to good fortuneâ€¦

Still, itâ€™s just a question of when for the young Belgian. And as he pointed out himself, he hoped that he didnâ€™t have to wait as long as Sordo for his first win. The fact that heâ€™s in the position to say that at all â€“ in a privateer team, with a scant one yearâ€™s experience of the WRC behind him â€“ is pretty remarkable.

Malcolm Wilson, a man who has certainly seen a few drivers come and go, says that he has never witnessed a career progression quite like it. As a natural consequence, Neuville is hot property for next year, and another nice little irony is the fact that he is being targeted to replace the man who just beat him in Germany. But heâ€™s happy at M-Sport and if the circumstances are right, he will stay. Maybe itâ€™s because Neuville is Belgian and M-Sport is British, but for the moment at least thereâ€™s a natural symbiosis of the underdog that suits both parties extremely well.

But the most important point that was proved last weekend was the simple fact that Citroen can win without Loeb. Because Sordoâ€™s victory was the first one of the post-Loeb era â€“ and in that he has proved himself to be better than anybody else, Ogier and Latvala excepted. And they have a significant car advantage, despite what anybody else says. Volkswagen even knows that: thereâ€™s no way it would have agreed to a homologation freeze next year otherwise. Equally telling is the fact that all the other teams were so gratefulâ€¦

So, letâ€™s give Dani his credit. He was driving for his career in Germany and he rose to the occasion magnificently. And itâ€™s been him â€“ not Hirvonen â€“ who restored Citroenâ€™s faith in itself after the departure of its talisman. For four long days he bore that burden of responsibility on his shoulders, without complaining or even drawing attention to his predicament. When the rain started falling on Saturday lunchtime he explained the problem: â€œWith rain comes opportunity â€“ but also more risks. Iâ€™d like to push, but I really, really canâ€™t go off.â€

That would have killed his career in less than a second.

He pushed as hard as he dared â€“ and then became a world rally winner, joining an exclusive club of just 71 people. And whatever happens in the future, whatever the vicissitudes of fate, commerce and marketing might throw up, nobody can ever take that away from him.
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Steve · Aug 27, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY4ZQ6fpabc]ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2013 [HD] - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwKsg-ZpK7c]WRC ADAC RALLYE DEUTSCHLAND - best moments - YouTube[/ame]

Nathan · Aug 27, 2013

Is it me or did they seem to tear more stuff up this round?

Steve · Aug 27, 2013

Over all, I don't think so, just seemed like it because so much of the carnage was among the front runners.

Although...the concentration of 'issues' in some of these videos says I might be wrong.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqDM6x47NrA]WRC Rally Deutschland 2013 - crashes, close calls & historic cars [HD] - YouTube[/ame]

By the way, I'll take that Opel at 3:20, thanks.

Steve · Aug 27, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr9HRvVvlLY]ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2013 Maxicorde HD - YouTube[/ame]

MCS02 · Aug 28, 2013

The Rally has been posted.

http://wrc.mirafiori.com

Steve · Aug 28, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh_qe4fjfhQ]Final News Clip @ ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 29, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tBz_BOpP5Q]Highlights ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2013 WRC Drift, Spin & abort Crash SS15 - YouTube[/ame]

RallyMini370 · Sep 8, 2013

Thanks Steve I'm just catching up on the WRC stuff after returning to the States. I seem to be 1 rally behind. hahaha

RallyMini370 · Sep 12, 2013

That's it...downloaded them all to my laptop for the 7 hour flight to England.

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