Photo Credit: Citroen Racing The speculation began ever since the nine time champion was invited to test one of Citroen's C3 WRC's. The 2017 season was a nightmare for the Parisians, so who better to assess their challenger than the man that brought them nearly all of their success?
Then as the WRC season came to a close, attention switched to the other Sebastien in our sport's hall of fame: Ogier. Would he stay or would he go? After much deliberation, the five-time champ stayed. We faced the prospect of having no domineering Frenchmen in the service park next year; instead we have two. It is important to stress, no matter how exciting this announcement is for the sport, that Loeb's return is very much part-time and sought through enjoyment. Loeb has spoken consistently at how he wanted to try out these new cars, and that no other discipline (he has since tried Dakar, WTCC and rallycross after leaving the WRC) gives him the same sensation as rally. He will compete in Mexico, Corsica and Catalunya, giving him four days on gravel and five on asphalt. The real question is though, how competitive will he be? When initially hearing the news I thought to myself: 'I hope this isn't Michael Schumacher 2.0.' But then I reminded myself, the crucial difference between Loeb's comeback and Schumi's F1 return in 2010 is Loeb's priority will lie with the Pari Dakar and the World Rallycross Championship with Peugeot. His WRC exploits are essentially a bit of a play. That doesn't mean to say the Frenchman won't be competitive however. He will be out to do as well as possible and he could do very well indeed. The events he and Citroen have selected have been well chosen. Mexico is a round he dominated during his championship years and he will go there with a low starting position, while his record on the sealed surfaces speaks for itself. Remember Corsica 2005 when he won every single stage of the event? Above all else this is a PR blinder from Citroen Racing. But the subsequent announcements that supplemented the Loeb deal do worry me as to how committed they are to the WRC. Like everybody else, the marque ran three World Rally cars this year, but that will be reduced to two for 2018 with Khalid Al Qassimi getting the odd run in a third C3. Kris Meeke retains his place as team leader and will contest all 13 rallies, while Craig Breen will have to hand the keys to his car to Loeb for three rallies. The Irishman will do 10 rallies. Stephane Lefebvre meanwhile has taken a step backwards, piloting the C3 R5 in its first year in the WRC2 support series. Citroen always used to prioritise the manufacturers championship above all else in years gone by, so why has it reduced its strength to just two cars? If one driver fails to finish they'll only have one car bringing points home. You'd suspect this decision is financial; particularly considering the apparent claims that they couldn't afford to sign Ogier despite publicly stating their intent to bring the Frenchman back to the team that gave him his big break. Either way, the World Rally Championship is reaching new highs right now. What can Loeb do against the new and blindingly fast crop of drivers? I can't wait to find out.
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Photo Credit: M-Sport The 2017 World Rally Championship was all about Sebastien Ogier. It was meant to be about Kris Meeke, and should've been about Thierry Neuville. The brand new era of the WRC has certainly kicked off with a bang.
Ever since it was announced that a new breed of World Rally Car was coming, the 2017 season instantly became keenly anticipated. Power increased from 300 to 380bhp, the aerodynamic package was beefed up and crucially the safety of the cars was bettered. But nobody could have predicted the unpredictability that unfolded. The season presented the first genuine championship battle since 2011: aided by the level playing field created by the new cars but ignited by the shock withdrawal of Volkswagen which saw Ogier head to M-Sport, Latvala to Toyota and Mikkelsen, initially, to the sidelines. Seven different winners from four different teams. Three debut victors including two successes at home. Only one back-to-back success, and from a UK national perspective, three wins from two different drivers. How can 2018 possibly topple all of that? Easier than you'd imagine. Because with Neuville looking for a vengeance, Mikkelsen back in the fold, Tanak shifting teams and Ogier putting his father duties on ice, the battle in prospect is tantalising. Each and every team looks set to improve. Let's start with the champions. Ogier and M-Sport's achievements can't be underestimated. Winning both world championships against the might of the manufacturer efforts from Toyota, Citroen and Hyundai is unbelievable. At this current stage we don't know what kind of backing the Cumbrian squad will receive from Ford, but the blue oval will increase its commitment to the WRC, which was crucial in keeping Ogier at the team. With Ogier driving your car you're always going to be in with a shout of the title, but perhaps the dark horse is Elfyn Evans. The Welshman came of age in 2017, taking his maiden rally win. Back on Michelin rubber, he's back in the main M-Sport team and is ready to consistently fight at the front. As for the third car, nobody really knows just now. Teemu Suninen, one of a long line of promising young Finns, looks set to feature at some stage. What can we say about Hyundai? 2017 was hugely successful for them and Neuville, but ultimately not successful enough. The i20 Coupe WRC was arguably the fastest of all the cars outright, but its fragility let it down. The rear suspension was the main culprit, breaking on Neuville's #5 car in Monte-Carlo, Germany and Spain, and letting Mikkelsen and Sordo down on the same Spanish corner. Neuville did make his own mistakes, but there's no escaping the reality that 2017 was the one that got away. To combat this, Hyundai has bolstered up. Andreas Mikkelsen has come into the team full time, giving the Korean manufacturer two genuine title contenders from the get go. The addition of Mikkelsen hasn't been without its politics however, mainly regarding Hayden Paddon who has had to relinquish his full time drive, but he and Dani Sordo will both get at least six rounds each and can help Hyundai massively. Toyota though have arguably the strongest line up of all the teams. Jari-Matti Latvala is a stalwart of the World Championship, and should've been in the thick of the title battle a lot longer than he was in 2017. Technical issues blighted his mid-season. Esapekka Lappi was the surprise package. The Finn stepped up from WRC2 in Portugal and immediately bagged a fourth place finish. Three rounds later he was a WRC winner on the fastest rally of them all. From then his season unfurled a tad, but his stock is immensely high. The real interest however lies with Ott Tanak. The Estonian was immense in 2017, taking the fight to his highly decorated team mate throughout the season. He has now moved on from the team that made him, and into a team on the rise. Tommi Makinen's Toyota division is a highly Finnish affair, so how will Tanak settle in? How will he handle the Yaris WRC? How will his team mates be affected? Questions that will be answered in just a matter of months. That leaves Citroen; and how the Parisians will be erasing this year from their minds. After skipping 2016, their pre-season testing programme was by far the most extensive and lead driver Kris Meeke was hitting imperious form on his limited WRC outings. But it just didn't come together this year. An ill-handling and unpredictable C3 created a frustrated Meeke, who was later dropped for Poland as a result. Mikkelsen came in for a few outings, causing further unrest. Two wins in Mexico and Spain aside, the year has been a disaster for the team that once dominated the WRC. Craig Breen was a source of hope. The Irishman's consistency was exemplary but he will be frustrated to have not shown slightly more speed. The same cannot be said of Stephane Lefebvre though, who was often outclassed by the rest of the field. The car has been improving of late and Meeke will come in with a fresh set of eyes, and there is of course the prospect of Sebastien Loeb coming in for a limited programme.. .. So you're just as excited as me! At least I hope you are. Thursday 11th January is when it all launches at the Autosport International Show, a week before the season opening Rallye Monte-Carlo. I will be in Birmingham for the show looking to uncover as much insight as I can! |
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January 2018
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