Photo Credit: Volkswagen Motorsport Tomorrow marks the final day of the year 2016, a year that will probably go down for many as a rather dark and strange affair: Brexit, Donald Trump, numerous high profile losses of life, it can be argued that 2016 hasn't exactly been one to rememeber. I however disagree. In my own personal life I have reached many personal milestones, and the world of rallying was certainly treated to an intirguing year with 6 different winners in the 2016 WRC. The last time the World Rally Championship witnessed so many winners in a season was back in 2003, the last season the championship wasn't won by a French Sebastien. So here are my top 5 moments revealed from 5 to 1 from the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship season. What were yours? Why not let me know in the comments section below or via my social media. 5. Neuville vs Sordo in GermanyPhoto Credit: Hyundai Motorsport Coming in at number 5 in this list was the thrilling battle between Hyundai Motorsportteam mates, renowned tarmac experts and former Rallye Deutschland winners Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo on the German round of this year's World Championship. Both the Spaniard and the Belgian were enjoying solid seasons in their new-generation i20 WRC's, with Neuville in particular riding on the crest of a wave thanks to a second career win in Italy. Sordo meanwhile had been a model of consistency, scoring four consecutive fourth place finishes at the start of the season, but was craving some stronger results, especially since a technical infringement stripped him of his Mexican podium. In Germany however, the Spaniard was at his seering pace, but so was his team mate Neuville. The Hyundai duo were locked in battle with the Volkswagen Polo's of Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen on day 1, but as the #1 Polo began to pull away the #3 and #4 i20's overhauled the #9 Polo of Andreas Mikkelsen. Heading into Sunday, Sordo held a small advantage over Neuville but Thierry was on fire, gradually nibbling second away from his more experienced team mate. In the end, only 0.1 seconds could separate the pair after 3 gruelling days on the German tarmac, with Neuville winning the Power Stage but falling short by literally the smallest of margins. This was the WRC at its best with two great drivers fighting for every single millisecond. Exciting indeed. 4. Paddon's breakthrough winPhoto Credit: Hyundai Motorsport Hayden Paddon shocked the rallying world in 2015 with a second place finish on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, coming so close to beating World Champion Sebastien Ogier. However, on round 4 of the 2016 season, the New Zealander got his second stab at beating the VW man in a thrilling final stage shoot-out, staged on the classic El Condor stage, likened to driving on the moon. Jari-Matti Latvala headed to Argentina on the back of a strong and much needed win in Mexico, and given his favourable road position in both North America and South America, the Finn was expected to do the same on the rally he won so brilliantly in 2014. And sure enough, Latvala was the pace setter in Argentina, until suddenly a rock ripped his VW's suspension apart and imminent retirement was the result. This left Hayden Paddon, driving for Hyundai's second string team, with a 30 second cushion over Ogier heading into Sunday's final leg. And any hopes of that dream maiden win looked as if they'd have to remain dreams with every passing kilometre, with the then triple champion wittling down Paddon's advantage to just 2 seconds before the end of rally Power Stage. The writing was on the wall. Except it appeared all of us following the rally had been looking at the wrong wall, because Paddon monstered Ogier. Obliterated him. Blew him into the wind. A massive 11 seconds faster in just the one stage and that first career win was his. And he and John Kennard couldn't quite believe. The win was testimony to Hayden's ever-growing talent and his dedication to the cause, revealing soon afterwards that he put in extra effort into making his notes and reviewing the in car from the recce of El Condor, just in case it mattered. It certainly isn't usual to see Sebastien Ogier left stunned, but in Argentina he was. The result also means Argentina is the only rally the champ hasn't won. 3. Ogier shows touch of classPhoto Credit: Volkswagen Motorsport I know the picture shows Andreas Mikkelsen, but Sebatien Ogier revealed a side of himself that many didn't believe he had in Poland this year when Estonian Ott Tanak who had been absolutely supreme all weekend on the lightningly fast gravel stages, lost out on the win to Andreas Mikkelsen due to a puncture on the final day. Where does Ogier fit into all this? Well, first here's a little bit of context. Sebastien Ogier shot into the world rallying scene in 2008 at the wheel of a Citroen C2 in the JWRC, and quickly made a name for himself and progressed into the sport's main league, finishing fourth in the World Championship in 2010 at the wheel of a C4 WRC, grabbing his first win in Portugal and then his second in Japan, even managing to break into the main Citroen squad for a few rallies, displacing long-standing driver Dani Sordo who decided to then jump ship to Mini for 2011. 2011 was a bitter one and probably one insiders at Citroen would probably like to forget. Ogier joined Sebastien Loeb full time in the works team, driving one of 2 Citroen DS3 WRC's, and as far as the young pretender was concerned there should be no team orders, no favouritism or no prioritising in the favour of his 7 times World Champion team mate. And Ogier's displeasure became incredibly apparent in Germany, when after establishing a strong advantage over the chasing pack on day 1, Citroen asked their two Frenchmen to hold station for the final 2 days to ensure a 1-2 finish for the team, with Loeb leading Ogier as he had been after Friday. At the time, there were strong rumours the orders had been placed but no official confirmation, although Ogier's behaviour at stage ends and performances on the stages themselves gave us the answers. Ogier didn't hold up, chipping into Loeb's lead and refused to speak to the media after the tarmac tests. Incredibly, Loeb then got a puncture and Ogier took a lead he would hold until the finish in Trier. When told about Loeb's misfortune on Saturday, Ogier cryptically said: "At least now there is justice in the sport." In 2015, his ruthless character caused more of a stir amongst his peers when after losing out to team mate Jari-Matti Latvala in Portugal, he stated at the end of the rally that this time "the best driver had not won." Ogier was making reference to the road order rules which he felt hampered and disadvantaged him, but the level of disrepect upset a number of people around the service park, most notably Kris Meeke. In Poland 2016 however, Ogier who wound up in 6th, was one of the first to console the downbeat Tanak at the end of the final stage, who was crestfallen after seeing a maiden WRC win fall straight out through his hands. Ogier lifted the Estonian onto his shoulders to the applause of onlookers, and it was a real sign of sportsmanship and appreciation of Ott's performance that showed the Frenchman can be compassionate rather than just a winning machine. This respect and chemistry bodes well for next year if you're an M-Sport fan, where the two drivers will link up for the full 2017 season. 2. Run of 6 different winnersPhoto Credit: Volkswagen Motorsport, Hyundai Motorsport, Citroen Racing From Rally Sweden in February to Rally Poland in July, we witnessed a different winner across each of those 6 rallies, meaning at the half-way point of the season after Rd.7 we had seen just one repeat winner in Sebastien Ogier who won both the season opening Monte-Carlo rally and the following adventure on the snow of Sweden. Latvala took the spoils in the heat and altitude of Mexico, with Paddon grabbing WRC win number 1 in Argentina. Taking their respective second career wins were Kris Meeke in Portugal, Thierry Neuville in Sardinia and Andreas Mikkelsen in Poland. It was a truly remarkable sequence and highlighted the shear competitive nature of today's World Rally Championship with so many drivers in the pack capable of winning a rally. Ott Tanak could so easily have made in 7 different winners in 2016 in both Poland and Wales where Ogier pipped him by just 10 seconds. It's without much debate that Ogier is the king of the bunch, but just behind the rest are incredibly closely matched and with all new cars and a new era in 2017, might one of them snatch the championship from the Frenchman's grasp? I certainly wouldn't rule it out. 1. Meeke wins fastest rally in historyPhoto Credit: Citroen Racing As a Brit and one that has followed the career path of Northern Ireland's Kris Meeke since his British Rally Championship days in a Ford Puma S1600 where he was talent spotted by Colin McRae, how could I not place this one at number 1? Meeke's historic win in Finland.
It was histroric for two reasons. Firstly, the average speed Kris set in his DS3 WRC was the highest in the history of the WRC, eclipsing Latvala's record from Finland the year before, putting Meeke at the top of the chart for winning the fastest rally ever. And secondly, despite having illustrious World Championship winning compatriots in Colin McRae and Richard Burns, Meeke became the 6th non-Scandinavian and first ever British driver to win the infamous Finnish round of the World Championship. What made it all the more impressive is he beat the man who had won the rally the past two years in Jari-Matti Latvala, and rubbed salt into the wounds by going 13 seconds faster than his Finnish rival in the legendary Ouninpohja test. Embarrassing for a Finn, but startling from Meeke who certainly stamped his authority as one of the fastest drivers in the world. The Citroen driver's win in Portugal earlier in the year was impressive but easy in a way given his favourable road position from not contesting the full championship, but the cleaning affect is minimal in Finland, meaning this win was claimed on merit. Quite some performance that is fully deserving at the top of my best moments from 2016. What made it even better was Craig Breen in just his third appearance in a DS3 WRC grabbed third place and the final step of the podium behind Jari-Matti Latvala. Emotional scenes, and Breen is another to keep an eye on in 2017. So that's the end of my top 5 moments from 2016. I hope everybody has a great new year and I can't wait for the new year to come. Why? Do you really need to ask? 21 days...
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Photo Credit: M-Sport January 2017 is poised to be a great month. Not only is the sequel to Trainspotting hitting the big screen, but the 2017 World Rally Championship bursts into life on the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo. Much like Danny Boyle's hopeful box office triumph, the 2017 WRC features more or less the same protagonists as years gone by, but they're reformed with new faces, returns and switches adding to the fire that was already sure to explode with the all new technical regulations reminiscent to the days of Group B. Here are 5 reasons the 2017 World Rally Championship is more than likely to go down as a classic, and certainly one of the most entertaining seasons we've witnessed in a long time. 1. New era of carsPhoto Credit: Citroen Racing Increased power up to 380nhp thanks to a larger 36mm restrictor, the return of active differential and incredible freedom for aero developments for the engineers and the 2017 breed of World Rally Cars are not just the most exciting we've seen in years but the most revolutionary too. But if you're anything like me you won't have taken in the facts I just laid out for you because well... just look at Citroen's all new C3 WRC! It's simply breathtaking. These new beasts are very exciting, and better still to rank up the excitement levels, they are a genuine unkown. Nobody knows whether it's Citroen, Hyundai, M-Sport or Toyota who has done the job until Sebastien Ogier lights up all four tyres and speeds away into the French Alps in his Fiesta RS WRC in mid-January. And if that doesn't excite you you probably best stop reading this piece. I expect most of the teams will have done an equally job, with Toyota the biggest question mark given they are a fresh team entering the sport. But don't expect these cars to remain the same, development will be key this year as the teams continue to understand and compare these 2017 machines. 2. Driver market shake-upPhoto Credit: M-Sport There was always going to be a different look to the 2017 WRC squad picture in Monte-Carlo thanks to the return of Toyota to the world's toughest motorsport, but the sudden withdrawal of Volkswagen from the WRC at the start of November created an absolute s**tstorm of rumours and speculation which has created a very different look to the line-up for 2017. Hyundai are the only team to compete full-time last year that have retained the same drivers as 2016, with M-Sport plumping for 2 new men. And one of those is quadruple World Champion Sebastien Ogier, who was crucial to how this year's driver market played out after VW's departure. In the end, the performance of the Fiesta RS WRC and the desire to work with M-Sport chief Malcolm Wilson ultiamtely saw the Frenchman sign for the Cumbrian squad, with Estonian Ott Tanak joining him as number 2 after an impressive season this year for the DMACK World Rally Team. Birthday boy Elfyn Evans (28th December) is widely tipped to replace Tanak for DMACK. As said above, Hyundai have stuck with Thierry Neuville, Dani Sordo and Hayden Paddon to pilot their all new i20 Coupe WRC in 2017 which looks like one of if not the strongest line-up on paper, particularly for the manufacturers title. Citroen have technically stuck with the same men that drove a DS3 in their bit-part 2016 season, with Ulsterman Kris Meeke leading the line for the French team. He will be joined by Craig Breen and Stephane Lefebvre with Khalid Al-Qassimi also making the odd appearnce in a C3. Toyota Gazoo Racing have gone for an all Finnish affair, with Jari-Matti Latvala looking to bounce back from a tragic 2016 season as the Japanese firm's lead driver. He's joined by experienced head Juho Hanninen and WRC2 Champion Esapekka Lappi who has signed as the team's test driver, but will get rally outings this year in the all new Yaris WRC. Mads Ostberg finds himself without a works drive but has confirmed he will compete in the 2017 WRC, most likely under his private Adapta Motorsport team. 2016 M-Sport man Eric Camilli looks to be without a drive as it stands, and may well find himself demoted to WRC2 with the British team like Elfyn Evans was this season. The biggest loss from the class of 2017 however is Andreas Mikkelsen, who came third in this year's championship, taking 2 wins for Volkswagen Motorsport. The Norwegian has been unable to find a full time drive next season and will therefore concentrate on staying match fit and securing a deal that allows him a good shot at the 2018 championship title. Mikkelsen will be in Monte-Carlo though, securing a guest drive with Skoda Motorsport to drive a Fabia R5 in WRC2. 3. The return of a giantPhoto Credit: Toyota Gazoo Racing One of the biggest names in the WRC's history is back: Toyota. The Japanese marque have a prominent history in the WRC and were at their peak in the '90s, with Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol all clinching titles for the firm between 1990-1994. Toyota bowed out of the WRC in 1999 with the Corolla WRC, and did it in style taking the 1999 Manufacturers title. For the new era in 2017 however they are back with the Yaris WRC, built and run by Tommi Makinen's squad in Finland. Expectations from the outside aren't massive, but internally they are massive as Toyota is there to win, so Makinen's Finnish trio will need to deliver, as will the Yaris itself. It's a shame VW have left as with Toyota's return the WRC would be up to 5 different manufacturers, something we haven't seen since 2005. But as it is we have 4 which is a strong number that we had since 2014, so the future of the sport is looking bright. And a new team's inclusion always adds intrigue, especially when it's a manufacturer as big as Toyota. The last two teams to have entered the WRC - VW and Hyundai - hit the ground running with wins in their first season. Can Toyota do the same? 4. British hopePhoto Credit: Citroen Racing Britain has a strong motorsport pedigree, but when it comes to rallying, despite the pool of talent we have at national level we haven't really captivated the picture of the sport in ways we have in other disciplines. Of course, this was well and truly not the case in the '90s and early 2000s with the most iconic driver of all time Colin McRae and 2001 Champ Richard Burns. But after those glory days, the British flag was flown by Matthew Wilson, who, let's be honest, isn't exactly a world beater. No podium finishes to his name let alone rally wins, you got the sense he only ever got to drive an M-Sport car because his dad runs the firm. That may be a little harsh, but was never the creme de la creme. Now though, we have Kris Meeke, who certainly is the best of the best. And could 2017 prove that once and for all? Many are tipping the Northern Irishman to go all the way this year in the C3 WRC he has spent an entire year testing and developing, but whether he wins the world title or not, he's all but guaranteed to be in the fight for it. And we haven't had that situation for 13 years. To further bolster the national pride, Welshman Elfyn Evans could well return to the series and Irishman Craig Breen is in essence an adopted Brit, coming so close to the UK and competing with British co-driver Scott Martin. And I think it's pretty apparent that a strong British presence increases interest in this country. 5. Quality of the fieldPhoto Credit: Hyundai Motorsport Looking through the 2017 contenders is actually a mouth-watering prospect, because there are so many exciting and talented names charging into this new era of the World Rally Championship. Each team has a proven rally winner, with Hyundai boasting a complete squad full of WRC winners, and although Ogier is pretty much accepeted as the best out there, a new era and a new team for the world champion could very well shake things up.
Vying to take his crown off him: Thierry Neuville, Kris Meeke and Jari-Matti Latvala. They must be the most realistic contenders, all leading their respective teams, but why not throw young hotshots Hayden Paddon and Ott Tanak into that equation too. Dani Sordo must also not be discounted, neither can Citroen's latets recruits in Craig Breen and Stephane Lefebvre who could be dark horses. As could young Finn Esapekka Lappi in his part-time campaign. The point is, I don't think we've had such a talented and closely matched pool of drivers for quite some time, and so whoever winds up as the 2017 World Rally Champion can be extremely proud of themselves and deserving of that accolade. We didn't see 6 different winners last year for no reason, and could so easily have been 7 or 8. I'm just sad we won't get to see another potential title contnender in Andreas Mikkelsen in 2017. Of course, all the pre-season hype could well be dampened if Ogier goes into supreme mode and runs away with the championship like he has done the last four years, but firstly I have genuine hope and suspicion even if he does win it, he won't dominate it. A proper title fight is something we've been bereft of since 2011 in all honesty, and what was significant about 2011 I hear you ask? A new set of technical regulations is what, and we are in that same situation again now. I expect 2017 to be close, but I'll be incredibly surprised if Sebastien Ogier doesn't claim Ford's first drivers championship since Ari Vatanen back in 1981. But if he does do it it won't be boring, because he will have done it in a different car with a different team, and if that's achieved I genuinely believe Seb Ogier will be claiming a huge stake as to calling himself the best rally driver the world has ever seen. Photo Credit: Citroen Racing You've just clapped eyes on the car many predict will not just win next month's Rallye Monte-Carlo but come out on top after 13 gruelling tests all around the world in the hands of Kris Meeke: the Citroen C3 WRC. It's fair to say that Citroen's latest WRC challenger has been long awaited, considering the French marque's decision to not compete full-time in the 2016 WRC in order to develop the car that will be driven by Meeke, Craig Breen, Stephane Lefebvre and Khalid Al-Qassimi. And isn't she gorgeous. Properly and beautifully aggressive yet elegant, with splashes of yellow and black donned on the red paintwork. Visually exciting is the best way to sum up my feelings towards the C3. And exciting on the stages it promises to be, with Kris and Stephane piloting the beast on the first round of the new era of the World Rally Championship. Meeke in particular stands in very good stead on paper given his testing time with the car this year, and the fact he basically designed it to fit his requirements. And what further strengthens his position as a pre-season favourite is a lot of his main rivals are in a far less luxurious position than the Brit. Thierry Neuville took a while to work out where he'd be driving in 2017 so hasn't done as many kilometres in the i20 Coupe as Meeke has in the C3, Jari-Matti Latvala has joined a new team in Toyota meaning he hasn't had a lot of testing time and the car may not be up to scratch, while Ogier is in a similar situation where he is relatively unfamiliar with the Fiesta RS WRC. Of course, Citroen's car may not be up to the standard, but I sincerely doubt that given Meeke's expertise and Citroen's incredible development ability. Photo Credit: Toyota Gazoo Racing It isn't just Citroen that officially unveiled their 2017 contender since I last wrote on this page about Malcolm Wilson's appointment of Sebastien Ogier, Toyota officially launched their Yaris last week and revaealed their 2017 driver line-up of Jari-Matti Latvala and Juho Hanninen, with Esapekka Lappi making it an all Finnish affair as test driver. Lappi is expeceted to get a run on at least 7 European events in the all new car. The Toyota Yaris WRC has divided opinion amongst many journalists and fans over the last few months, both in terms of its apparent performance and its aesthetics. Addressing the first issue, the main uproar came when videos emerged of Ogier testing the Toyota on wet Spanish tarmac, with the Yaris appearing to understeer, but it's worth remembering those are very tricky conditions. All footage revealed recently of Latvala in the hot seat appears much more promising, with the 16 time rally winner targeting podiums from Argentina onwards next year. The second matter: the looks. And I'm not so sure I like it. It's not ugly, but it's not as nice as the offerings from Citroen, Hyundai or M-Sport/Ford through my eyes. The front and side angles are fine, but there's too much going on at the rear. For me, there are far too many grilles and fins, and the rear wing is borderline ridiculous. But will it be quick? I'm certainly hoping it will be, and if it isn't initially I'm sure the team will be up to speed in no time at all. You of course can make your mind up for yourself, and let me know what you think by checking out my Twitter and voting in my poll as to what you think the best looking WRC 2017 challenger is. Photo Credit: Skoda Motorsport Now for some more driver discussion, and for today we're focusing on Skoda and three of its drivers past and present in Juho Hanninen, Esapekka Lappi and Andreas Mikkelsen.
Mikkelsen and co-driver Anders Jaeger (pictured above) came through the ranks at the wheel of an S2000 Fabia winning the iRC twice in a row, before joining Volkswagen Motorsport and taking three wins at the wheel of the Polo R WRC. But with VW's shock departure from the sport, Andreas and team mates Ogier and Latvala were left without a drive for 2017. The Frenchman and the Finn have since found employment at M-Sport and Toyota respectively, but the Norwegian has had no such luck, and the picture above says it all. Does he look happy? Not one bit. Mikkelsen's plan now is to do as many rallies as possible next year before hopefully obtaining a full time drive and mounting a serious championship assualt in 2018. He will be in Monte-Carlo next month, but at the wheel of a Skoda Motorsport Fabia R5 as a guest driver. It's poetic in a way that he should drive for Skoda, the team who fed him into the WRC and who he enjoyed great success with, but much like Elfyn Evans this year Mikkelsen simply shouldn't be without a WRC drive. It's an absolute travesty and genuinely does upset me. This brings me back to the other two drivers mentioned at the top of this sub-section, Hanninen and Lappi. Both Finnish men have joined Tommi Makinen's Toyota team for 2017, but can either one seriously claim that they are more deserving of that position than Andreas? Lappi I think can, as he like Mikkelsen has been superb with the Skoda factory team winning the APRC, FIA ERC and WRC-2 so the WRC is the next logical step for the talented youngster. I think he can count himself unluckly not be contesting all 13 rounds. Juho Hanninen however.... hmmm. There is no denying the Finn's talent behind the wheel of a rally car. Again chiefly with Skoda, Hanninen was supreme at the end of the last decade and the beginning of this, winning the iRC, SWRC and FIA ERC championships in consecutive years from 2010-2012. He had a shot in the WRC on selected rounds with Hyundai back in 2014, and I think it's fair to say he wasn't electrifying. For 2017, Toyota brought him in to develop the Yaris wanting a driver with experience. To be fair to their decision, when Hanninen was appointed neither Ogier, Latvala or Mikkelsen were available in the driver market as they were all contracted to Volkswagen and incredibly unlikely to jump ship, no matter how much money Toyota could have offered. With Latvala who Toyota took and Mikkelsen being available, the appointment of Hanninen seems even more ridiculous as they now have an experienced driver who not only is more experienced but is faster than Juho as well. That isn't Toyota's fault, but even if experience is what they were solely after was Hanninen even the best option? Dani Sordo may have been difficult to obtain or persuade but as a WRC winner he has plenty, and has worked for great teams alongside great team mates in Citroen and Sebasiten Loeb most signifcantly. And then there's Mads Ostberg, who has driven for two different works teams and is a reliable set of hands. Hanninen could of course prove me wrong, but seeing Mikkelsen in an R5 and Hanninen sitting with a full 2017 campaign stretching before gets to me, because Mikkelsen is more than deserving of that privildge. I'm not sure when you look at the current crop of talent in world rallying, that Hanninen is. On a cheerier note, this is likely to be my final post before Christmas unless any shock news is unveiled so I'd just like to wish everybody a fantastic Christmas period with family and friends. Keep an eye on This Is Rally though over the next few weeks, as I preview the 2017 WRC season which is now only a month away, and I'm currently working on a bumper preview of the 2017 MSA British Rally Championship so make sure you don't miss that! P.S. I'd love to believe all the Meeke hype, but I still can't see anybody beating Ogier. Photo Credit: M-Sport The news is finally out, we know where Sebasiten Ogier will be and what he'll be driving to defend his World Rally Championships drivers crown, and it's the move that many wanted. Sebastien Ogier will drive for Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport team in 2017 alongside co-driver Julien Ingrassia, with Estonian pairing Ott Tanak and new co-driver Martin Jarveoja joining the French crew in the all new Ford Fiesta RS WRC 2017 (pictured above).
Rumours had been circling faster than you can say the phrase regarding Ogier's future, and the Frenchman has tested both the Fiesta and the Toyota Yaris WRC in the past couple of weeks. Reports were that Ogier's test with the Cockermouth squad had been positive, but a deal was yet to be struck. But today the news that many British rally fans were waiting to hear was out, Malcolm Wilson had got his man and Ogier will pilot an M-Sport machine in next year's WRC. The quadruple champion said: "There will be a lot of new things this season, but I'm definitely looking forward to it. We have a new generation of World Rally Cars and a new team - it's certainly an exciting time. "There's not long before we line-up at the start of Rallye Monte-Carlo and we've not had a lot of seat time with the Ford Fiesta WRC, but we'll give it our best to be ready. We're aware of the challenges, and I can see how hungry Malcolm and his team are for success. "It's funny to think that just a few months ago I was sitting at a motorsport forum at Wales Rally GB saying how nice it would be to work with him one day. I had no idea at the time it would come qutie so soon, but here we are." Malcolm Wilson is equally excited about capturing his man. It is third time lucky for Wilson who tried to sign Sebastien Loeb back in 2005 and Ogier himself in 2012 before the Frenchman decided to sign for the new Volkswagen team. With the World Champions in the number 1 car and the highly rated Tanak as number 2, Ford can surely buy themselves a championship title by providing manaufacturer support for the M-Sport team once more. They've not been in a better position to clinch either the drivers or manufactuters title in a decade. Wilson said: "We go to Rallye Monte-Carlo with the number one on the door of the Ford Fiesta WRC and the strongest driver line-up we've had in years. "To say we're excited about next season is an understatement. We believe we have produced an exceptional car, and we're in the best possible position ahead of this exciting new era. "We have worked extremely hard to secure Sebastien and Julien and they believe the Ford Fiesta WRC is the car with which they can best defend their championship." This news means that there is a question mark over Eric Camilli's future who has a contract for 2017, but news is expected regarding the young Frenchman shortly. The WRC jigsaw is starting to fall into place, with Elfyn Evans expecetd to sign a deal with DMACK and Jari-Matti Latvala having signed for the new Toyota team, with an official announcement expecetd tomorrow. The big intirgue now surrounds the private Volkswagen entry, which may or not come into fruition. If it does, it is likely that Nasser Al-Attiyah and Qatar will be the ones investing in the Polo R WRC 2017. and Andreas Mikkelsen will surely be a driver. The Rally Australia winner is fast running out of options to be at the start of Rallye Monte-Carlo next month. It would be a crying shame if he weren't to feature in next year's championship. But what a championship next year is set to be. With Ogier now at M-Sport, there is a serious title contender at each of the four teams: Ogier at M-Sport, Neuville at Hyundai, Meeke at Citroen and Latvala at Toyota. And the cars sound and look so great, I think 2017 could be one of the most exciting WRC seasons in years, especially with a British driver involved at the front. Ogier will still be the favourite, but the Frenchman is far less familiar with his Fiesta RS WRC than his rivals are with their machines, and the Monte is not the place you want to be learning a car's characteristics in competition. Does somebody fancy packing me in their suitcase to Monte-Carlo in January? |
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January 2018
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