Motorsport Information

FIA (WRC), Rally Spain

Volkswagen are World Champions* – manufacturers’ title following one-two victory in Spain

Wolfsburg (27 October 2013). Part two of the World Champions’ story: Volkswagen has won the manufacturers’ title in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with an outstanding one-two victory at the Rally Spain. That means all the WRC titles* for 2013 will go to the car maker from Wolfsburg. Sébastien Ogier/ (F/F) claimed the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ crown three weeks ago at the Rally France. The French duo went on to score an impressive win – their eighth this season – ahead of their team-mates Jari- Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) at the “Rally de España”. As a result, Volkswagen has an unassailable lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship with one round still to go this season. Winning three titles in its debut year with the Polo R WRC is Volkswagen’s greatest motorsport achievement to date.

Title wins that will go down in history – Volkswagen’s debut

Volkswagen’s achievements in the 2013 WRC season are unparalleled. The German team clinched all of the titles in the top category of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) in its debut year – the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Championship and the manufacturers’ trophy. No other manufacturer has managed to win a World Championship in its first year since the World Rally Championship began. Even in the history of Formula 1, no car maker has yet taken the title in its opening season through their own efforts. Volkswagen’s performance has exceeded all expectations. Originally, it was considered to have set itself ambitious goals by aiming for podium finishes in year one, round wins in the second year and championship titles in its third year.

Volkswagen drivers shine in extreme conditions

On its last day, the Rally Spain turned into a real showdown between the Volkswagen pairings Ogier/Ingrassia and Latvala/Anttila. Following a puncture on day two, Ogier started the final 138.54 kilometres on gravel fourth overall, with Latvala in the lead. On the third and final day, the Volkswagen duos rose to the different challenges they faced. While Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila opened the road on the concluding gravel stages of the Rally Spain, forcing them to clean the optimum line for the cars behind them, Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia faced another problem. The new World Rally Champions* tackled the course fourth in a cloud of dust thrown up by their toughest rivals as they fought to win the round. This obviously didn’t slow down the season’s dominant duo too much: Ogier/Ingrassia put in best times on four of the six Special Stages on Sunday alone, plus two more top-three times. Only one other driver/co-driver pairing really shone on Sunday: / recorded two best times in the third Polo R WRC.

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An extra pair of eyes in the dust: co-drivers play a crucial role on Sunday

Clouds of dust thrown up by the car in front, low morning sun – the conditions on Sunday posed a huge challenge for drivers and co-drivers alike. Thanks to a precise reading of the pace notes, pairings like Ogier/Ingrassia were able to gain up to 20 seconds on their direct competitors in the dust, despite poor visibility. Trust between the driver and co-driver is absolutely crucial in situations like this. When reading the pace notes, the co-drivers have to rely completely on their instincts – there are no clues to fall back on in zero visibility. “It was really tough going for us co-drivers,” said Julien Ingrassia, Sébastien Ogier’s right- hand man.

The all-rounder: 13 of 15 best stage times go to the Polo R WRC

The Rally Spain was the only round in this season’s WRC series to cover both asphalt and gravel. The Volkswagen Polo R WRC proved to be a great all-rounder in these unique conditions: 13 of 15 best stage times and 26 of 45 possible top-three times went to the from Wolfsburg. The all-wheel-drive triumphed seven times on the nine asphalt stages and on all six gravel sections. Since the Polo R WRC first lined up in the WRC at the Rally Monte Carlo, it has racked up 132 of the 215 possible best stage times – that’s 61.4 per cent. Sébastien Ogier has put in 101 best stage times single-handedly so far this year.

Quotes following day three of the Rally Spain

Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #7 “I’m absolutely delighted for the team. Volkswagen more than deserved to win the World Championship title this year. The Polo R WRC is a real World Champion car. Even though we had a few technical problems at the end today, it got us over the finishing line again and we won the very first one-two victory in the WRC with the team. I would’ve liked to have fought with Sébastien Ogier for victory in the round right to the bitter end because we had a fair duel without tactical instructions until just before the finish. I’m still pleased with second place. It gives me confidence ahead of the forthcoming Rally GB in Wales, which is definitely one of my favourite rallies. I can hardly wait to tackle it.”

Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #8 “What an incredible rally, and what a fantastic season! Our team really deserved the World Championship title. I’m incredibly proud to be part of the Volkswagen team. And of course I’m ecstatic that Julien and I managed to secure the win here in Spain. I promised beforehand that I would try everything – and it worked. It has to be said that it was extremely difficult early this morning though. Driving through the dust thrown up by the cars in front was like being in the thickest of fog – zero visibility. At times, we had to slow down in the middle of full-speed stretches because we couldn’t see anything at all. We made a strong comeback in France and left as World Champions. Now we’ve managed to play catch-up big style in Spain – and we’re World Champions again!”

Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9 “Volkswagen are World Champions! I’m so pleased for the team – they’ve just been great this season. It’s just a fantastic bunch of people. I wanted to give them something back today too and tried to perform as well as possible. I felt comfortable in the Polo R WRC right from the start this morning and adjusted to gravel really quickly. Starting so far back certainly wasn’t a disadvantage, but all that dust was. But we did a good job during the recce and I had a lot of confidence in the pace notes. Seeing your own name right at the top of the list of times twice is great, of course. On the third stage of the day, I slid off the road after a long right-hand bend that went into a sharp left-hand turn. This afternoon, I wanted to go on the attack again, but I hit something on the straight. After that, the steering wheel was wonky. Later on, the suspension got damaged too, which is why we couldn’t take part in the last Special Stage. Nevertheless, I’m not dissatisfied with the Rally Spain.”

Jost Capito, Director “Winning all three World Championship titles in one season is simply unbelievable. Given that this is the first season we have competed in the World Rally Championship with the Polo R WRC, it is an even greater achievement. Winning the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ World Championship was an absolute highlight for the whole team. It was a dream come true for Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia in particular at their home event three weeks ago. But the Manufacturers’ World Championship is even more important for a car maker because it proves that it’s not just the driver who’s exceptional – the product is too.”

And then there was ...

... Santiago Cañizares. The former Real Madrid and FC Valencia goalkeeper is a big fan. He paid a visit to the Volkswagen Motorsport team and his compatriots and Luis Moya at the Rally Spain. Cañizares has 46 caps for Spain and commentates on the WRC for Canal+ in his home country. In his free time, he enjoys playing with his three vintage rally cars: a Porsche 911, a Renault Alpine and a Renault 5.

* Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA.

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Spain – results

Friday, 25 October 2013 #7 Latvala #8 Ogier #9 Mikkelsen

SS 01 Querol 21.26 km P03 (+ 03.1s) P01 P06 (+ 12.8s)

SS 02 El Montmell 24.14 km P03 (+ 05.6s) P01 P06 (+ 12.0s)

SS 03 Riudecanyes 1 16.35 km P02 (+ 00.1s) P01 P03 (+ 03.0s)

Overall classification 61.75 km P02 (+ 08.8s) P01 P06 (+ 27.8s)

Saturday, 26 October 2013 #7 Latvala #8 Ogier #9 Mikkelsen

SS 04 Riudecanyes 2 16.35 km P01 P03 (+ 03.2s) P20 (+ 59.3s)

SS 05 El Priorat 1 42.04 km P03 (+ 04.3s) P02 (+ 02.9s) DNS

SS 06 Colldejou 1 26.48 km P01 P12 (+ 53.8s)

SS 07 El Priorat 2 42.04 km P02 (+ 00.6s) P01

SS 08P Colldejou 2 26.48 km P03 (+ 03.2s) P02 (+ 02.8s)

SS 09 Salou 02.24 km P01 P04 (+ 00.7s)

Overall classification 155.63 km P01 P04 (+ 46.5s) P33 (+ 26m 10.2s)

Sunday, 27 October 2013 #7 Latvala #8 Ogier #9 Mikkelsen

SS 10 Gandesa 1 07.00 km P04 (+ 07.7s) P02 (+ 04.0s) P01

SS 11 Pesells 1 26.59 km P04 (+ 21.3s) P02 (+ 09.3s) P01

SS 12 Terra Alta 1 35.68 km P05 (+ 16.4s) P01 P07 (+ 24.0s)

SS 13 Gandesa 2 07.00 km P04 (+ 04.0s) P01 P11 (+ 13.5s)

SS 14 Pesells 2 26.59 km P06 (+ 11.9s) P01 P03 (+ 07.5s)

SS 15 Terra Alta 2 35.68 km P06 (+ 31.4s) P01 nicht gestartet

Overall classification 138.54 km P02 (+ 32.9s) P01

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Spain – final result

1. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen 3h 33m 21.2s 2. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen + 32.9s 3. / (FIN/FIN), Citroën + 1m 13.7s 4. / (B/B), Ford + 1m 33.9s 5. / (RUS/A), Ford + 2m 01.0s 6. Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson (N/S), Ford + 2m 26.0s 7. /Michal Ernst (CZ/CZ), Ford + 4m 55.8s 8. / (NZ/NZ), Ford + 6m 55.7s 9. Robert Kubica/Maciej Baran (PL/PL), Citroën + 11m 14.1s 10. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari/Killian Duffy (QA/IRL), Ford + 13m 26.8s

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Spain – result

1. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Ford 15m 36.8s 2. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen + 2.8s 3. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen + 3.2s

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), points standings**

Drivers’ classification 1. Sébastien Ogier, 265 points; 2. Thierry Neuville, 158; 3. Jari-Matti Latvala, 144; 4. Mikko Hirvonen, 126; 5. Daniel Sordo, 117; 6. Mads Østberg, 89; 7. Sébastien Loeb, 68; 8. Evgeny Novikov, 67; 9. Martin Prokop, 55; 10. Andreas Mikkelsen, 40.

Manufacturers’ classification 1. Volkswagen Motorsport, 382 points, 2. Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT, 274 Punkte; 3. Qatar M-Sport WRT, 174; 4. Qatar WRT, 169; 5. Abu Dhabi Citroën Total WRT, 63; 6. Jipocar Czech National Team, 57; 7. Volkswagen Motorsport II, 40; 8. Lotos WRC Team, 20.

** Provisional.

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Spain – TV broadcast

Western Europe Andorra (Canal +); Austria (LAOLA1.tv, ORF, ServusTV); Belgium (RTBF); Denmark (VIASAT); Finland (MTV3, YLE Sport); France (Canal +, France TV, Léquipe 21, TF1); Germany (Sport1, RTL, n-tv, LAOLA1.tv, ServusTV); Greece (OTE); Ireland (Setanta); Italy (RAI, Canale Italia, Sportitalia); Monaco (Canal +, France TV, Léquipe 21, TF1); Netherlands (RTL 7); Norway (VIASAT); Portugal (Sport TV, RTP); Spain (Canal +); Sweden (SVT); Wales (S4C)

Eastern Europe Czech Republic (Czech TV, Sport 5); Poland (TVP); Romania (Dolce Sport); Russia (Auto Plus); Slovakia (Czech TV, Sport 5); Ukraine (First Automotive Channel)

Asia Pacific Malaysia (Astro); Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam (ESPN Star); Japan (J Sports); New Zealand (Sky Sports); Australia (Speed TV); Thailand (Truevision)

North and Latin America Argentina (Channel 12); Brazil (ESPN); Latin America (Fox Sports)

International Worldwide (Reuters, SNTV)

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