Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, the World Rally Championship’s up and coming star, took his first WRC victory in Portugal this weekend, after he battled it out with defending champion and compatriot Sebastien Loeb and came out 8 seconds ahead of the reigning ace.
“It’s a huge satisfaction to win. I have to thank the entire team: this is a massive moment for me. We came very close to winning in New Zealand but now we are on the top step of the podium, which has allowed us to move up to second in the World Rally Championship for drivers,” Ogier said.
With Loeb having to sweep the road out front on day one, Ogier and Citroën Junior Team co-driver Julien Ingrassia capitalised early and maintained a healthy lead over the six-time champion. Loeb was on the charge for the entirety of the remaining two days, and set the fastest times for all the stages on Sunday, but just couldn’t catch Ogier.
“It was a great, evenly-matched fight. We lost a lot of time sweeping the road on the first day. We never gave up pushing to claw back the time lost but we lacked that little bit of extra speed. In hindsight, I think that my driving wasn’t aggressive enough. Whatever the case, it was the quickest driver who won today, and our second place is a very positive result as we now have a 38-point lead in the drivers’ championship,” said Loeb.
Norwergian former world champion Petter Solberg was on a good foot for third, but his privateer Citroën C4 WRC suffered mechanical problems on Sunday and the position went to Loeb’s teammate, Dani Sordo.
“I’m proud to give this result to the team. We could have been a bit closer to the two Sebastiens, were it not for a few minor problems, but the most important thing was to score the maximum number of points for Citroen. I’m happy to have finished the first half-season on a high note and I can’t wait to race in the rallies on asphalt,” said Sordo.
Rally Bulgaria is next up on the calendar, the first of four tarmac events this season. With Loeb’s reputation as a tarmac expert, it’s hard to see him lose points. Can Ogier steal the old man’s fire? Watch Rally Bulgaria on 9-11 June to find out.
