Tag: Ogier

Rally – Ogier and Sordo Swap Seats

Doug Patterson

We already knew that Sebastian Ogier was going to step up to the factory Citroen team for 2011, but in a move that comes as a bit of a surprise, Ogier is getting the nod THIS season! For the rest of the gravel rallies this season, Ogier will drive as Loeb’s teammate on the Citroen Total World Rally Team while Dani Sordo will be demoted to the Citroen Junior Team. This is a huge blow to Sordo’s confidence and career. Sordo’s performance these past two seasons have been less than…

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Rally – Citroen Set for 3 Car Operation in 2011

Shaun

Citroen has expressed interest in having a 3 car outfit next year reports Autosport. The team has run into a slight dilemma regarding their second factory seat. Dani Sordo is currently working his fourth season as a Citroen factory driver. The Spanish driver has not scored a WRC win to date and has really been in the shadow of his teammate Sebastian Loeb. Dani’s performance to this point in 2010 has been forgettable as the likes of Sebastian Ogier and Petter Solberg have really shined in their smaller run C4s.…

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Rally – New Zealand Conclusion…WOW!

Shaun

Like a master composer, Sebastian Loeb laid out the battle plan for days 2 and 3. The plan was simple: score as many points as possible. Loeb would take this plan and perform what may be described as one of the greatest rally masterpieces of all time. The fifth round of the WRC 2010 campaign has produced fireworks from start to finish. Jari-Matti Latvala would win the rally by 2.4 seconds over Sebastian Ogier after the Frenchman spun three corners from the finish. The most cruel finish to a rally…

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Rally – NZ Day 1

Shaun

The World Rally Championship has traveled to NZ for the 5th round of the 2010 campaign and all eyes were on Sebastian Loeb who has been dominant so far this year. Day 1 would prove a little difficult for the reigning champion. New Zealand has provided the WRC drivers with more mixed surface racing that was rather successful in Turkey. Matthew Wilson would jump to a flying start as he ran 2nd fastest on the second stage of the day before lady luck would dash his hopes. The British Stobart…

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Rally – Turkey Final Thoughts

Shaun

The first mixed surface event is in the books and Sebastian Loeb has won yet again. The Frenchman is now in full control of his WRC title destiny and if this weekend was any indication, the Fords need to find answers sooner rather than later. I thought the first mixed surface event was interesting and applaud the series for putting on a pretty good show. Rain would cancel a number of stages on day 3 but the show would go on. The mixed surface rally would take away the need…

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Rally – Turkey Day 2 Wrap

Shaun

Day 2 of the grueling Rally Turkey has ended and as we said yesterday, don’t be surprised if Sebastian Loeb charges to the front. That is exactly what the Frenchman has done, but it is still wide open heading into the third day. The day started with Sebastian Ogier holding first position on the road. Usually that means road sweeping and with the large rocks on the road he would surely yield his position quickly right? Wrong…the junior ace was a rocket today as the cars hit the tarmac/gravel stages…

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Rally – Turkey Proving Tough

Shaun

Rally Turkey would be the first mixed surface rally of the year and many drivers have called the event tough. To further the difficulty, none of the drivers would have pace notes going into the event. The event has also seen the return of Ken Block and his Monster Energy/DC Ford Focus. After a very impressive run in Mexico, the pressure would be on to perform in Turkey as Ken continued to fact find ahead of next year’s championship. The day would come to a very early end however. Sebastian…

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Rally – Misfortune for Hirvonen and Ogier

Shaun

Mikko Hirvonen wrecked his Ford Focus this morning in the opening stage of the morning. The Finn who had set himself for a better road position yesterday, ended up playing a version of rally car pinball. The Ford driver who looked invincible in Sweden and Monte is clearly going to have his confidence rattled after this crash. Not only was the Ford way off the pace in Mexico, but now the hopes and dreams of the blue oval racers rests on a surprisingly good Jari-Matti Latvala. The clear number two…

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Rally – Quirky Mexico Shakedown

Shaun

Round 2 of the WRC campaign kicked off today with the shakedown stage and a number of cars would not make it back to service without a battle wound courtesy a water bridge. Petter Solberg would claim the fastest time in the shakedown with a 2:51.7. It would appear as though the gremlins that haunted the Norwegian during Rally Sweden would allow him to enjoy at least one day of the event. Both Petter Solberg and Dani Sordo would suffer damage to their Citroens with the latter actually busting a…

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Rally – Latvala Leads OZ

Shaun

The WRC has concluded day 1 in Australia and a bit of a surprise has taken shape at the top of the leader board. The surprises may be short lived because of road conditions, however there is clearly some tactical decision making going on amongst the title contenders. Jari Matti Latvala has put the Ford Focus at the front of the rally after day 1 with a slim lead over Citroen Junior Team driver Sebastian Ogier. Ogier is off to the best start in his WRC career and is only…

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