Photo Credit: Volkswagen Motorsport After six of the thirteen high speed and testing rounds of the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship, the battle has been intense, pulsating and unpredictable; and this only promises to get better as the season races into its second half with just 18 points separating the top two drivers in the standings.
For round seven, the WRC heads to Poland for the fifth time in its history, and marks one of the first genuine chances we will get to see the new breed of World Rally Cars in action at high speeds. The Polish round of the World Championship is known for being ultra-fast and smooth, with the new aerodynamic kits coming to the fore making this already fast event even quicker. It's a rally Hyundai star Hayden Paddon describes as "Sweden without the snow", which tells you everything you need to know. Last year's rally was all about one man: Ott Tanak. Rather apt, as the Estonian is the pick of the bunch heading to Eastern Europe after finally grabbing the maiden win that had eluded him on numerous occasions in his career in Sardinia. There is a strong sense that with this win under his belt, Tanak is only going to get better which is a scary thought for his rivals after a consistent year sees him third in the drivers standings. Only a puncture robbed him of victory in 2016, with third place going his way in 2015, so M-Sport's number two is odds on for a second WRC win this weekend. Next door, Sebastien Ogier will be eyeing up the Polish country lanes as a good chance to pounce, but once again he will have to face the worst of the conditions on day one sweeping the loose gravel off the surface of the stages to his rivals' benefit. The Frenchman is a two time winner in Poland and is a genuine contender wherever he goes, but flat out, searing speed rallies aren't necessarily his forte. A good result is all but guaranteed, but a win in Poland will be hard for Ogier. But as a serious championship campaigner, that won't be his primary aim albeit an added bonus. Aim number one will be to extend his points advantage, which means getting the better of Hyundai's Belgian Thierry Neuville. Thierry is a completely different driver to the confidence-drained, negative and frustrated figure that steered an i20 two years ago, and is in a serious fight for a maiden WRC title. Two high-profile mistakes when comfortably leading in Monte-Carlo and Sweden have almost been forgotten, as wins in Corsica and Argentina has been supplemented with two further podium finishes in Mexico and Sardinia, helping Neuville close up to the series leader. He has been the fastest man across the season thus far, so what's stopping him one of the fastest events out there? Potentially Jari-Matti Latvala. The Finn sits fourth in the championship, just one point off Ott Tanak, but has been a revelation since joining Tommi Makinen's Toyota Gazoo Racing. An incredible breakthrough win for the Yaris came as early as round two in Sweden which saw the experienced Finn lead the WRC for the first time since Sweden 2014, but a couple of disappointing rallies followed. The team appear to have got the car working well on the loose though with Latvala well in the hunt for victory in Sardinia, and as the victor of the only real fast and flowing rally thus far in 2017, Jari-Matti can't be written off your betting slip ahead of round seven. Thirty seven points shy of the leading quarter, Dani Sordo, as he has done so often in the career, holds the title of 'best of the rest' after the first half of the season. Sordo has been impressive this year, with his pace not correlating into the results it deserves. Elfyn Evans has had a mixed campaign with some blunders but came of age on round five, coming an agonising 0.7 seconds within a first win at World Championship level. He will perhaps be one to watch this weekend. Craig Breen has, in his own words, "ticked all the boxes" so far in 2017 with some impressive, consistent drives as he continues to learn the WRC. He starts Poland as the most experienced man in a C3 WRC with Kris Meeke on the bench. Stephane Lefebvre rejoins the team on an event he competed on last year, while the winner in Poland 12 months ago, Andreas Mikkelsen, gets his second bite of the cherry in Citroen's WRC machine. After a rally spent learning the car and perfecting the set-up, Mikkelsen will need to deliver on a rally he has previously excelled on if he wants to continue to grow his bulging reputation. Reputation has so far saved Hayden Paddon, as the Kiwi hasn't had the easiest start to life in an i20 Coupe WRC. It all looked to be coming together in Sardinia but after running slightly wide on a left hander, Paddon and new co-driver Sebastian Marshall damaged a wheel and surrendered their rally lead. But Paddon is better than that. He knows that. The team know that. We know that. Now it's time to deliver. Over at Toyota, there is a real air of confidence. Aside from Latvala, the under-performing Juho Hanninen showed signs of improvement in Italy but the real star was his younger compatriot Esapekka Lappi. Grabbing his first ever stage win and then immediately taking five more, Lappi snatched fourth overall on just his second event in a World Rally Car, marking himself not just a star of tomorrow but a star of today. Poland will be another steep learning curve but "EP" learns almost as quick as he drives. The final WRC entrant is privateer Mads Ostberg, who is another to have performed better this year than his results suggest. The Norwegian doesn't have the pressure of performing for a manufacturer which seems to suit him, but he will be keen to get a high profile result after showing great signs of intent and promise in his Fiesta RS WRC. Round seven of the World Rally Championship takes place this weekend, with the race for victory open as ever in this most unpredictable of seasons.
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January 2018
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