Photo Credit: Hyundai Motorsport New Zealander Hayden Paddon was the star of the show on the 2016 Rally Argentina as he took both his and the new-generation Hyundai i20 WRC's first WRC victory. It was also the first victory for any driver from New Zealand in the history of the WRC. Volkswagen had the chance to go 13 rallies unbeaten after equaling their previous record of 12, but Paddon brilliantly denied them the chance of making history, and instead made some of his own. Just like in 2015 with Kris Meeke, Argentina provided us with a debut winner. From the get go there were three drivers who started to streak away; Paddon, Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala. Ogier was gunning to finally break his Argentina winning duck, and cut a frustrated figure all weekend as he had to deal with sweeping the roads for the ensuing pack. Latvala and Paddon profited with lower starting positions, but it was the Finn who was in control, right up until the end of day 2 where his Polo hit a rock, the suspension was ruined and Latvala was powerless as his car rolled over several times and out of contention. That left Hayden Paddon as the overnight leader by 30 seconds from the charging Frenchman. Ogier chopped 7 seconds off the Hyundai's advantage on Sunday's opener, before taking a massive bite out of Paddon's lead to go into the event closing Power Stage just 2 seconds behind. The Kiwi spectacularly held his nerve however and took 11 seconds back from Ogier to take one of the most deserved wins ever in the WRC. Andreas Mikkelsen completed the podium after a fairly quiet rally in his Polo R. Photo Credit: Volkswagen Motorsport Dani Sordo put in another solid performance to come home fourth, and finished as the lead points scoring Hyundai. May they be regretting not selecting Paddon in the main team for the South American event?
Mads Ostberg was a distant fifth, as he struggled to match the front runners for pace, but he kept it out of trouble. Despite finishing 4 minutes from Paddon, he still seemed to be enjoying himself. His team mate Eric Camilli also had a decent event, as he picked up his first finish and points in the WRC. Thierry Neuville was low on confidence after he crashed twice last month in Mexico. The Belgian had another disappointing event on round 4 but this time it wasn't his fault. He lost 6 minutes on the first day as his i20 suffered with electrical issues. However, over on the other side of the garage, there was one very happy Kiwi, who has now moved up to 2nd place in the world championship. The next event in the WRC is Rally Portugal in May, where we will see the return of the Citroens.
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Photo Credit: Volkswagen Motorsport It's been a while, but the WRC is back this weekend as the teams and drivers head to the South American adventure that is Rd.4 of this year's championship: Rally Argentina. One of if not the roughest rally of the year, Argentina is an event not to be taken lightly, and it is typically characterised by numerous water splashes and iconic terrain likened to driving on the moon. To win here it is not all about raw speed. Last season saw an emotional Kris Meeke take his maiden WRC win with Citroen team mate Mads Ostberg in second place, ahead of Elfyn Evans in third for M-Sport. However, as Citroen are not taking part this year, the only previous winner of the event starting the 2016 edition is Jari-Matti Latvala, and he is pick of the bunch to repeat his 2014 win. Latvala will start days 1 and 2 sixth on the road, compared to Ogier who will be on road sweeping duties. This should give him an advantage, although his French team mate will be charging for his 35th career win on his 101st WRC start as Rally Argentina is the only rally on the calendar he hasn't won (apart from China which nobody has contested). Mikkelsen in the third VW has had a shaky couple of rallies after an impressive second on Rallye Monte-Carlo, and so will be looking to keep it steady on his way to a solid result. Photo Credit: Hyundai Motorsport Over at Hyundai all three drivers could well be in the mix and all have a point to prove. Thierry Neuville has shown strong pace this season, but two crashes last time out at one of his favourite events in Mexico has plummeted him down the championship order. A trouble free run, preferably ahead of his team mates, is just what the doctor ordered. Dani Sordo on the other hand was cruelly robbed of a podium finish in Guanajuato, as the team made an error that led to him using 29 tyres instead of the allocated 28 throughout the event. Still, he proved his pace and will be looking for more of the same. Hayden Paddon was fifth in Mexico, but wasn't entirely happy, just outlining the progress he has made over the last year. He has been off in New Zealand developing his very own i20 for competition over there, and will be looking to carry his good form into Argentina. Photo Credit: M-Sport M-Sport's two drivers have had two very different seasons thus far.
Lead driver Mads Ostberg finds himself in second in the championship after three solid rallies, and came very close to a win last year in Argentina. The Norwegian could be an outside bet for a second WRC win in South America. Eric Camilli however is still adapting to the World stage and has struggled a little thus far. However, given his minimal experience it is still too early to judge, but he really needs a top 10 finish in Argentina to get any doubters off his back. Rally Argentina is the 4th round of the 2016 WRC, and will conclude on Sunday 24 May. |
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January 2018
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