Next week's Rally Portugal is set to be one of the most exciting events of the season as the WRC heads back to Europe after two rounds in America. It is a rally of change, but the big question is; will the scales become balanced? Nigh on every WRC driver is heading to Southern Europe with a new weapon except Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala. VW team mate Andreas Mikkelsen is finally getting his hands on the 2015 spec VW Polo R, whilst VW's rivals are all arriving with evolutions of their WRC machinery. Citroen are the team with the most to brag about, especially after re-writing the 2015 form book with their 1-2 finish in Argentina last month. The DS3 has been considerably improved, with improved aerodynamics being one of its biggest improvements. It will also carry a new striking livery, meaning it is the car grabbing the headlines heading to Portugal. Although the all new i20 WRC is unlikely to grace the stages in 2015, Hyundai are running an updated car from Portugal onwards, with the new paddle shift gearbox being a key feature. M-Sport have also been heavily developing their Fiesta, and will be buoyed by Elfyn Evans' podium finish in Argentina. The team are running five all new Fiestas from Portugal onwards, for privateers Martin Prokop, Lorenzo Bertelli and Robert Kubica as well as the factory boys Elfyn Evans and Ott Tanak. Added to the hype surrounding all the updated machinery is the rally itself. Portugal is returning to the Fafe region for the first time since 2001, meaning the crews have minimal experience of the event. This gives the more inexperienced drivers, particularly Andreas Mikkelsen and Kris Meeke, a real chance to fight for top honours. Brewing in the background is the scintillating WRC2 battle that is set to really hot up in the first gravel event in Europe of the season. The entry list is enough to wet anybody's appetite.
The headliners on the list are the Skoda Motorsport Team, who are fielding two of their all new Fabia R5s for 2014 European Rally Champion Esapekka Lappi and 2013 Junior World Rally Champion Pontus Tidemand. The car has been instantly competitive, with Jan Kopecky winning on the car's debut in the Czech Republic. Both drivers know how to win too, so are definitely title challengers, despite Lappi's claims of that not being the goal for the season. Taking them on amongst others are WRC2 regulars Jari Ketomaa, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Stephane Lefebvre, Karl Kruuda as well as Irishman Craig Breen. Breen's performance will be very intriguing, as he looks to finally make his mark on the WRC after his career somewhat snowballed after winning two of the WRC's support series in 2011 and 2012. A strong performance in Portugal and in the rest of the season coupled with a potential European title will go a long way to convince WRC teams to take notice. All of these variables heading into Portugal mean I have no idea who will win, although that probably means that Ogier will obliterate his opposition like he so often can (and that would seem the case if he is as quick in the Fafe region as he is in the Algarve.) One thing is for sure though, I cannot wait!
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WRCArticles covering the World Rally Championship Archives
January 2018
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