Sebastien has won the World Rally Championship. A sentence that has been written with unerring regularity during the 2000s as Monsieur Loeb has swept aside all before him. But for 2013 there's a new Seb as champ, VW's Sebastien Ogier.
Ogier has taken wins in icy Sweden...
Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia have taken the title after the first Power Stage at the Rally France in their #8 Polo R WRC. With extra points awarded for the top three on these stages, Ogier and Ingrassia now have an unassailable lead after finishing third. Their only rivals for the title, Ford's Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gisoul, took second but are still too far behind.
To have taken the Drivers' Championship with two rounds to go in its first WRC season is a pretty stellar achievement from VW. The Ogier/Ingrassia partnership has taken six wins and a pair of seconds in the ten events so far. VW also leads the Constructors' Championship.
So then, the Loeb question. Prior to France, he had only entered three rallies in 2013 (Monaco, Sweden and Argentina). In two of those, he outscored Ogier. Hmm. Ogier's achievement remains excellent, but can't help but wonder how the season may have panned out with both Sebastiens battling throughout a full campaign.
... and dusty Sardinia on his way to the 2013 WRC
'I could give everyone in the world a big hug' said a rather emotional Ogier after his win. He's also well aware of his obligations though, and made sure to thank everyone else too, 'whether trucker, mechanic or race engineer'. Co-driver Ogier said it was 'possibly the best day of my life'. Well done chaps.
With Audi taking the DTM title last weekend and now the WRC success, VW Group is on something of a motorsport high. A roadgoing Polo R WRC would only seem right now Volkswagen...