Most liked posts in thread: WRC: Rally de Portugal 2013

Steve · Apr 12, 2013

Sordo is driving for Citroen again. He replaced Loeb, sort of.

Meeke is keeping busy. I think mostly on two wheels but he's also been rallying a Bentley...sort of. Here's the segment he did with TopGear.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IZO5OBcn3A]James May and Kris Meeke's Bentley Rally - Top Gear - Series 19 Episode 1 - BBC Two - YouTube[/ame]

Justa Jim · Apr 12, 2013

Thanks Steve. I'm guessing MINI is nowhere in the race any more.

Jim

Steve · Apr 13, 2013

If you mean MINI, the company, then you're right. But ProDrive aren't completely out of it. They're staying on the scene in a lower budget sort of way with the same team as last year and one new driver. They're also supposedly still developing the car and I'm sure the hope is presence will attract new customers. From what I've read, they have quite a few customers in series' outside the WRC driving different versions of the car, one team of which is competing in Portugal right now in the WRC3 class.

At the moment the leading MINI driver in WRC, Michal Kosziuszko, is running 7th in Portugal after 8 stages.

Steve · Apr 13, 2013

SS8: Exhausted Ogier leads at Saturday midpoint (WRC.com)

13 Apr 13

SS8, Loule (22.78 kilometres)

Stage description:

This stage runs in the opposite direction to previous years. The road is generally mid-to-wide but narrows in places. It's smooth, but with bed rock showing in some sections.

How the action unfolded:

Sebastien Ogier emerged from Saturday morningâ€™s loop of stages with his lead of Rally de Portugal intact but feeling the effects of the virus that forced him out of the Fafe Rally Sprint last week.

The Frenchman, who leads the driversâ€™ championship, was quickest through the Loule test [SS8] and headed back to service with an advantage of 14.1sec over his Volkswagen Motorsport team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala.

Mikko Hirvonen is third, the Citroen DS3 driver 23.1sec further back in third.

Ogier began the day with his lead under threat from a hard-charging Dani Sordo. But after the Citroen driver crashed out on todayâ€™s opener, Ogier was left battling his team-mate Latvala and his own health.

â€œItâ€™s been tough because after about 10km on each stage I get low on energy and I really have to fight. Itâ€™s not easy for me,â€ he said.

Latvala, in contrast, enjoyed an excellent morning in the second Polo R. The Finn won two stages and seemed happier behind the wheel than at any point so far this season.

On completing SS8 in the second quickest time, a confident Latvala said: â€œA pretty good stage, to be honest. The mid-section was really, really fast and I tried to push there. The fast stuff appears to suit us well. My tyres now are very on the limit, though.â€

With Sordo out, Citroenâ€™s hopes of victory this weekend ride with Hirvonen. The Finn was third quickest on all three of todayâ€™s stages, but wasnâ€™t able to stop the lead Volkswagen drivers pulling further ahead in the overall standings with every stage.

â€œThe first two stages were okay but both VWs were fast here and thatâ€™s not good,â€ Hirvonen explained after SS8. â€œI have to try and keep the pressure on Jari-Matti, thatâ€™s all I can do. My car feels really good, I just need to work on my driving rhythm.â€

The pace of the leading trio, and the retirement of Thierry Neuville from fourth on SS6, has pulled them clear of the chasing pack and there is a 2m14s gap to the man in fourth place, Ford Fiesta RS driver Evgeny Novikov.

The Russian remained uncharacteristically downbeat this morning, and was unable to explain why his stage times were so far off those of the leaders.

Another 1m45s further back, fellow Fiesta RS driver Nasser Al-Attiyah is well cushioned in fifth. Martin Prokop is sixth in another Fiesta, more than 5min behind Ogier.

MINI JCW driver Michal Kosciusko is seventh, the Pole struggling with badly scrubbed and overheating DMACK tyres.

Kosciuskoâ€™s place is under threat from Andreas Mikkelsen who, after power-steering problems on day one, is making progress back up the standings and continuing to learn on his first rally with Volkwsagenâ€™s Polo R.

â€œI have way too much information in my pace notes and because everything appears so fast in a World Rally Car I need to take some details out,â€ he said after SS8. â€œSome terrible driving from me too - I felt like a virgin out there!â€

After a 30-minute service, crews will repeat the morning's three stages this afternoon. The second pass through the Santana da Serra test [SS9] gets underway at 1509hrs.
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Why tough Portugal will only get tougher for Ogier (MaxRally.com)

by Richard Rodgers / 13th April 2013

Sebastien Ogier says what is already proving to be a tough Rally of Portugal will only get tougher this afternoon.

Ogier is leading by 14.1s after Saturdayâ€™s opening three stages despite struggling with a viral infection, which he says has zapped his energy behind the wheel of his Volkswagen Polo R WRC.

â€œWith how I am feeling this is the hardest rally Iâ€™ve done and it could be even harder this afternoon with the temperature increasing,â€ said Ogier. â€œItâ€™s not an easy one for sure. I am feeling a little bit better but I am paying a bit now for the two weeks I have had. I miss some sleep I think. I miss some energy and I really have to fight against myself.

â€œBut even with this lack of energy we are doing a good job. I am happy with my drive and there are no mistakes. We know we can be performing, epecially here in Portugal. But itâ€™s still very close but everything can happen.â€
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Crashton · Apr 13, 2013

Those boys have very large attachments. Way to go, press on regardless.

Steve · Apr 13, 2013

Just an interview, not actual video of the crash.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3l5-qtPLCM]WRC 2013 Dani Sordo crashes into tree during Rally de Portugal - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Apr 13, 2013

WRC Saturday wrap: Ogier takes control (WRC.com)

13 Apr 13

Sebastien Ogier ended todayâ€™s second leg of Rally de Portugal with a comfortable 34.8sec lead over Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala.

The Polo R drivers dominated this longest leg of the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Latvala won the opening two stages before Ogier claimed the remaining four tests.

Higher temperatures and rocky gravel roads in the hills above the Algarve made the going tough. Conditions were at their worst this afternoon when the morning stages were repeated and drivers had to manage their tyres on roads worn to the bedrock.

Ogier was still handicapped by the virus which has affected him for the past two weeks. â€œI started to feel a bit better this afternoon,â€ he said. â€œI think I saved my tyres better than the others. It was a good day but tomorrow has two long stages so itâ€™s going to be tough as well.â€

Ogierâ€™s closest challenger yesterday was Dani Sordo but the Spaniard retired his Citroen DS3 on todayâ€™s opening stage. â€œI misunderstood a pace note. After a small crest the car slid wide onto the loose. At the end of the corner was a small tree and we hit it with the rear wheel which broke,â€ he said.

Latvala climbed to second, getting to grips with the Polo R for the first time this season. â€œItâ€™s the first day this year when I have been smiling,â€ said the Finn, whose only problem was a slow puncture at the end of the last stage.

Mikko Hirvonen completes the podium places in a Citroen DS3, 1min 08.5sec behind Ogier. â€œIt was so rough and so hot that the tyres were at their limit this afternoon. I donâ€™t have any new tyres for either of tomorrowâ€™s loops so that will slow me,â€ he said.

Thierry Neuville restarted behind Hirvonen but the Belgian retired his Ford Fiesta RS in the opening stage after hitting a rock and damaging the suspension.

It promoted Evgeny Novikovâ€™s Fiesta RS into fourth, but the young Russian is 4min 23.9sec from the lead. He had suspension problems this afternoon and was frustrated at being unable to match the pace of those ahead.

Nasser Al-Attiyah had a troublefree day to hold fifth, his Fiesta RS almost two minutes behind Novikov and a minute ahead of Andreas Mikkelsenâ€™s Polo R.

Seventh is Dennis Kuipersâ€™ Fiesta RS with Esapekka Lappiâ€™s WRC-2 category Skoda Fabia S2000, Khalid Al Qassimiâ€™s Citroen DS3 and Martin Prokopâ€™s Fiesta RS completing the leaderboard.

A broken rear differential sent Prokop tumbling from sixth, while Michal Kosciuszko dropped out of the top 10 after losing 11 minutes when his Mini JCW stopped with electrical problems in the penultimate stage.

Tomorrowâ€™s final leg covers four stages and 147.64km, including two passes over the monster 52.30km Almodovar test.
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Steve · Apr 13, 2013

Different, but related...sort of.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u2kJDVhfDE]Boobs or bums? Mads Ostberg reveals his secrets! - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Apr 13, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTEERuTIfsM]Crash @ WRC Rally de Portugal 2013: Mads Ã˜stberg - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Apr 14, 2013

Posting for the helicopter biz and video...not because the presenter got sick.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZP8vnwCxkY]AWESOME WRC helicopter ride - presenter is sick! - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Apr 14, 2013

SS12: Ogier and Latvala hit problems (WRC.com)

14 Apr 13

SS12, Silves 1 (21.52 kilometres)

Stage description:

A smooth stage on a mid-to-wide road, the route passes beneath the motorway in two places. For the main part speeds are medium, but it becomes extremely fast towards the finish.

How the action unfolded:

Both rally leader Sebastien Ogier and second-placed Jari-Matti Latvala encountered problems with their Volkswagen Polo Rs during a dramatic opening to the third and final leg of Rally de Portugal this morning.

Ogier dropped 35sec and Latvala ceded more than 1min 15sec as Mikko Hirvonen suddenly found himself within striking distance of the lead in his Citroen DS3.

Ogier restarted with a 34.8sec lead over his team-mate, but completed the test with the hazard warning lights flashing.

â€œI have a problem with the car. I do not want to tell you,â€ said the tight-lipped Frenchman when quizzed at the finish.

WRC-2 category leader Esapekka Lappi, who is immediately behind Ogier in the running order, said the Volkswagen pilot was working on the car before the start and it appeared it only had two-wheel drive as he left the start line.

Ogier stopped on the road section to work on the car. â€œIt wasnâ€™t working at the beginning but after 10km everything was working again and we finished the stage normally. For me itâ€™s not a driveshaft or a differential,â€ said Ogier, before suggesting the problem could be clutch related.

Latvala was more forthcoming at the stage end. â€œAt the first corner something broke in the transmission. I donâ€™t know what it is but it feels like a driveshaft.â€

He also stopped on the road section to work on the car and added: â€œThe car suddenly lost drive on a left-hand corner. I carried on in two-wheel drive. It looks like the front differential exploded. Itâ€™s never happened before,â€ said the distraught Finn.

Asked whether he could make it through the following test, he said: â€œI have to.â€

Hirvonen was second in the stage and now lies 37.9sec behind Ogier, while relegating Latvala to third. The gap between the pair is 37.4sec and the drivers must now tackle the monster 52.30km Almodovar stage before the sanctuary of service.

Aside from Volkswagenâ€™s troubles, dust was the major talking point from the drivers. Despite the gap between cars being increased from two to three minutes, the still early morning air left dust clouds hanging in the air, with visibility especially tricky between the trees.

Hirvonen, who completed the stage ahead of the VW pair, said: â€œIn some places dust was a problem against the low sun and it was tricky. The next stage is a long one and it will be difficult for the tyres.â€

Mads Ostberg was fastest in a Ford Fiesta RS, 5.1sec quicker than Hirvonen, with the similar cars of Nasser Al-Attiyah and Thierry Neuville third and fourth.
Click to expand...

Steve · Apr 14, 2013

SS13: Ogier breathes a sigh of relief (WRC.com)

14 Apr 13

SS13, Almodovar (52.30 kilometres)

Stage description: 

This is the longest stage of the rally, and one of the longest of the entire season. There are many crests and corners and great concentration is required from driver and co-driver with the pace notes. It is generally fast and flowing, but a rocky surface in places makes it hard for the cars. The stage will count as the Rally de Portugal Power Stage when it is run for the second time as SS15.

How the action unfolded

His Polo R seemingly back to full strength, Sebastien Ogier made the perfect recovery after his earlier problems, going second-fastest through the marathon Almodovar to extend his rally lead.

Heading to the midpoint service break - and a team of relieved Volkswagen Motorsport technicians - the Frenchman holds a 49.3 second advantage over Mikko Hirvonen who is second in a Citroen DS3.

â€œEverything seemed okay but I was very careful in there,â€ said Ogier. â€œI was very smooth with the amount of torque I put on the clutch. At the start I just crossed my fingers and then did my job.â€

His co-driver Julien Ingrassia later added: â€œBefore the start we warmed the clutch up. At the beginning it wasnâ€™t working so well but then it started to work okay for the rest of the stage. Sometimes youâ€™re lucky and sometimes youâ€™re not.â€

Hirvonen was closest to Ogierâ€™s pace, but the Finn was unable to mount a flat out attack on the lead.

â€œHe was back up to a steady pace and I still needed to be so careful on my tyres,â€ said Hirvonen. â€œMy rears were so worn even at the start. Weâ€™ll have to do the same on the repeat even though weâ€™ll have better tyres. Itâ€™s going to be hard.â€

Jari-Matti Latvala dropped 3m03s as he steered his Polo R through the stage with just rear-wheel drive. The heroic performance was enough to keep him third overall, 41.4sec ahead of Evgeny Novikov in fourth.

â€œIâ€™d like to see how my time compared to the two-wheel drive cars,â€ Latvala grinned at the stage end. â€œAt least we are still fighting for third. Iâ€™m looking forward to getting the car fixed now.â€

[Stat fans take note: Latvalaâ€™s time through Almodovar in his 315bhp rear-wheel drive Polo R special was 50 seconds quicker than that of the nearest â€˜standardâ€™ two-wheel drive car, the 210bhp front-wheel drive Citroen DS3 R3T of Bryan Bouffier.]

The Portugal top five is rounded off by Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Qatari was seventh quickest on SS13 to remain 1m55s behind Novikov in the overall standings.

Like SS11, the stage was won by Rally 2 entrant Mads Ostberg in a Ford Fiesta RS.

Sepp Wiegand lost second place in the WRC-2 category with a gearbox problem.

The German, who leads the championship standings, could not select a gear in his Skoda Fabia S2000 and more than nine minutes passed before he got on his way. It allowed Robert Barrable to climb to second, behind runaway leader Esapekka Lappi.

After the stage, crews headed to the Algarve Stadium and a 30-minute service before repeating both stages this afternoon. The re-run Silves [SS14] gets underway at 1231hrs.
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Steve · Apr 14, 2013

Ogier: I thought my rally was over (MaxRally.com)

by Richard Rodgers / 14th April 2013

Sebastien Ogier has revealed he thought he would be forced to retire from Rally of Portugal this morning when his Volkswagen Polo developed a clutch fault.

Ogier started day three leading by 34.8s but was in trouble from the start of the 21.52-kilometre Silves stage.

“We had a problem with the clutch on the first stage and I was really sure the rally was over for me,” said Ogier. “The clutch was slipping and I was driving the first 10 kilometres slowly to try to finish the stage and then suddenly it works again and we don’t know why. Now I just want to finish the rally and for sure we deserve to. We have done a good job but there are still 70 kilometres to go and we hope the car will be fine.”

Ogier added that he tackled the 52.30 kilometres of Almodovar with no working handbrake after it failed on the road section between the two stages. He was confident both faults would be rectified in service.

Prior to entering service, team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, who dropped from second to third when his Polo suffered a differential failure on Silves, said: "We are changing all the suspension corners and then we can change the gearbox where the diff is inside. There is a lot of work to do but it should be good for the afternoon. Second place has gone now but the target is to try to keep the third place."
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Steve · Apr 14, 2013

WRC Sunday wrap: Ogier nets hat-trick (WRC.com)

14 Apr 12

Victory on Rally de Portugal today made it three wins from three rallies for Volkswagen Motorsportâ€™s Sebastien Ogier.

The Frenchman, 29, took the lead of the Algarve-based event on Fridayâ€™s third test, after early leader Mads Ostberg crashed his Ford Fiesta RS.

Ogier, and co-driver Julien Ingrassia, went on to 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 Driversâ€™ Championship and he now has 102 points, 54 ahead of Hirvonen in second.

Todayâ€™s win was the ninth at World Rally Championship level for Ogier, who has won the Portuguese round twice before with Citroen in 2010 and 2011.

To do it this time however he had to overcome an energy-sapping virus and a transmission problem on Sunday morning that almost cost him the lead.

At the end of the rally-closing Power Stage, having earned another three bonus championship points, Ogier was understandably relieved.

â€œItâ€™s a perfect result but this week has been really complicated for us,â€ he said. â€œI came here on Monday and wasnâ€™t even sure I would be able to do the rally - I was completely kaput.

â€œThe 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.â€œ

â€œToday 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,â€ he added.

Volkswagen began Sundayâ€™s competition on course 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.

â€œItâ€™s been a tough day and a tough rally,â€ said Hirvonen. â€œA podium is okay but I wasnâ€™t happy with my pace this weekend. We werenâ€™t fast enough so we must keep working to try and improve.â€

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.

â€œThird place is my first podium with Volkswagen so Iâ€™m happy with that,â€ said Latvala. â€œI had a really good run in the Power Stage and Iâ€™m feeling pretty satisfied with the rally.

â€œSo 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 victoriesâ€ he added.

Evgeny Novikov was fourth in a Fiesta RS, more than a minute behind Latvala. The Russian finished 5m27s off Ogierâ€™s lead and was still unable to explain his lack of pace this weekend. â€œOkay, 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,â€ 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. â€œIâ€™m really happy with the performance this weekend. Itâ€™s been hard but I enjoyed it and am looking forward to my next race,â€ he said.

Andreas Mikkelsen was sixth on his first event in Volkswagenâ€™s Polo R. Adapting from Super 2000 to World Rally Car machinery, the Norwegian youngster was satisfied with what he had achieved. â€œThere are still many more rounds to go and Iâ€™m looking forward to Argentina and learning some more,â€ 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. â€œOverall the times were good, and even with the crash itâ€™s been a positive event for me,â€ 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 driversâ€™ 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.
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Steve · Apr 14, 2013

Here's Kubica's Day 1 off that ended with a punctured radiator, among other things.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH8a0fNje2Y]WRC - Rallye Portugal 2013 Crash Robert Kubica - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Apr 15, 2013

Could have been embarrassing but they kept going and probably earned some respect instead. Polish cojones!

Steve · Apr 15, 2013

The MAXRALLY Portugal wrap (MaxRally.com)

by Anthony Peacock / 15th April 2013

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

Itâ€™s frustrating â€“ although for this author, a depressingly familiar experience â€“ to be almost right, but not quite there.

Anybody listening to MAXRALLYâ€™s audio before Rally of Portugal would have heard us trot through our predictions for the top three. Normally these are about as accurate as our forecasts for the weekâ€™s winning lottery numbers. But on this rare occasion, I nominated Sebastien Ogier first (OK, so did everyone else â€“ it wasnâ€™t hard), Mikko Hirvonen second and Evgeny Novikov third.

And that so nearly turned out to be the case, didnâ€™t it? If only Jari-Matti Latvalaâ€™s transmission had grumbled a little more then I would have wonâ€¦precisely nothing. Which at least makes the pain of missing out slightly easier to take.

And the pain of missing out was something that Ogier came close to experiencing too, for the first time in his recent career. The fact that he was out there competing at all was nothing less than heroic, given that Ogier was laid down with a viral infection barely a week before the rally start (which caused him to miss the Fafe Rally Sprint). And anyone seeing him could tell straight away that this was no man â€˜flu: there are some clever doctors at Volkswagen but even they canâ€™t make the puffy eyes and swollen glands of a febrile driver vanish entirely.

The irony is that they actually can, but theyâ€™re not allowed to: the stringent anti-doping tests carried out by the WRC make team doctors extremely wary of prescribing anything other than aspirin.

Team boss Jost Capito reckoned his superstar was at 80 per cent, but the reality was closer to 60 per cent. Still, illness wasnâ€™t the petard that nearly hoisted the Frenchman: nor was it ever going to be. You could chop the leg off somebody as competitive as Ogier and heâ€™d still maintain that he was fine to drive.

No, it was instead the intimation that the irrepressible winning machine that is the Polo R WRC might actually have some vulnerability to it. Both drivers had mechanical worries â€“ of different sorts â€“ so itâ€™s a timely reminder, as Volkswagen has always maintained, that its baby is not yet the completely finished product.

And if a gremlin was going to surface anywhere, Portugal would always be the place â€“ simply because these were the roughest conditions the Polo encountered in competition so far (Mexico, by contrast, is comparatively smooth).

Even so, Portuguese stages are still a drive in the park compared to some other places coming up: Greece for instance. If the Polo survives that, then it should cope with anywhere. Volkswagenâ€™s engineers have always maintained that they have a pretty good idea of how fast their car is, but not how strong it is. Over the next few rallies, they get to find outâ€¦

Letâ€™s keep everything in perspective though. Even when the German team has a problem they still manage to finish first and third, so itâ€™s hardly panic stations in Hanover yet.

What people probably didnâ€™t expect was for Ogierâ€™s closest rival in Portugal to be Dani Sordo. Mads Ostberg had a go but ultimately his pace proved to be unsustainable. So did Sordoâ€™s â€“ but at least he made it count for longer. Donâ€™t forget that Ogier spent three years alongside Sebastien Loeb. And one thing he is sure to have learned from the master in that time is how to draw your rivals out of their comfort zone so that they crash while trying to keep up with you. Ogier himself should know as heâ€™s been on the receiving end of it at the hands of Loeb on more than one occasion.

But at least now heâ€™s the person dishing out the punishment. And at this rate, Loeb is going to have a hell of a job beating him on the next round in Argentina. Which is a situation that the younger Sebastien will definitely enjoy (although it will make no difference to the older one).

Or maybe there will be other opportunities? Citroen team principal Yves Matton has said that he would call on Loeb if it was necessary for the championship, and it doesnâ€™t take a WRC expert to conclude that it seems very necessary. MAXRALLYâ€™s distinguished columnist, Markku Alen, wondered recently what was up with Mikko Hirvonen yet such is Mikkoâ€™s metronomic consistency that he still manages to bang in the results even on lacklustre days. Such as Portugal. He may have been second on the rally (helped by Latvalaâ€™s problem) and in the championship, but thatâ€™s still more than 50 points â€“ or two straight wins â€“ behind Ogier. Mikko is only five points ahead of Loeb, who has done half the number of rallies.

Nobody has any right at all to criticise Mikko though, because the statistical fact is that there is no-one out there capable of doing any better.

There are faster drivers, but they only tend to stay fast for limited periods of time before the inevitable happens. A surprising number of people donâ€™t seem to make that connection.

Novikov (seamless link) spent much of the rally complaining about how slowly he was going. He was properly upset by it, in fact. But the fact is he finished fourth: his most significant result of the year so far. And itâ€™s a reasonable assumption that this may well not have happened had the Russian adopted his normal speed.

So whose was the most impressive drive of Portugal then? None of the people weâ€™ve mentioned already. Instead, it was Andreas Mikkelsen.

It would have been so easy for the young Norwegian to succumb to either the pressure or temptation to take the car of the moment by the scruff of the neck and make it go as fast as he possibly could. But no. He just got on with learning it, quietly, consistently and unspectacularly. By the end he had worked his way up to sixth, just behind Qatar M-Sportâ€™s Nasser Al-Attiyah (who put in yet another admirably consistent performance, just as he did in Mexico).

Mikkelsen did himself more favours with that humble yet solid result than any desperado attempt at a fastest time would have brought him. His bosses already know that he has the speed. But Andreas proved in Portugal that he has the insight to look beyond the immediate and always see the bigger picture. And thatâ€™s exactly what wins championships.
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Steve · Apr 15, 2013

VW and Ogier (the new Sebastien) are doing great but I gotta love the comment from WRC.com:

After a brutal Rally de Portugal we have a proper scrap lined up for Argentina. Loeb will want to put Ogier in his place - is the DS3 quick enough?
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Loeb and Ogier were anything but friends when Ogier played Loeb's whipping boy (#2) at Citroen. Will be fun to see how this plays out.

Crashton · Apr 15, 2013

That will be interesting for sure. I hope the Polo can take the pounding Argentina hands out. The Citroen's have proven to be very tough, add Loeb & Ogier has his work cut out for him. I'm cheering for Seb Ogier.

Steve · Apr 15, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-tuIwvNSPs]WRC Rallye du Portugal 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

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