WRC made the headlines at last this weekend - thanks to Ott Tanak suffering an off, crashing into a lake and, seconds after escaping, watching his M-Sport Fiesta WRC sink to the bottom of it. Sky News called it a miracle escape and, looking at the in-car footage they sourced, you'd have to agree: the Fiesta filled up startlingly quickly - given how tightly racing drivers tend to be strapped in, you can understand why Tanak and co-driver Raigo Molder found it so dramatic.
One of the stranger WRC stories you've heard
Tanak's helpless attempt to hold onto it (!) didn't work and, as quickly as it went in, the car plunged to the lake bed, where it would remain for the next nine hours. Of course, that was that for Tanak's rally.
Or not quite. Rally 2 regulations mean that cars can rejoin the next day if they can be repaired. They lose seven minutes for each stage they miss, so won't be in the running for overall honours, but it can let the tenacious potentially pick up crucial championship points, and also means spectators will still be able to see all the stars should a rally be one of particular attrition.
That's the theory. Of course, they wouldn't be able to get a Fiesta WRC that's been sat at the bottom of a lake for nine hours running again, would they? Particularly as the regulations dictate teams only have three hours to get the cars ready? A ha - this is the second part of the feel-good motorsport story of the weekend: M-Sport did just that, and Tanak drove out of the service bay under his own steam less than a day after going for a swim. OK, he didn't make the startline on Saturday due to a water-related gremlin, but he was able to line up on Sunday and, better still, complete the rally after running first on the road.
Another WRC event, another Ogier win
Heroic stuff indeed, that's proof of what can be so great about WRC: praise the heavens it was picked up by mainstream TV and may just remind a few casual fans rallying is still out there and can still be exciting. All the coverage is just rewards for the M-Sport technicians too who, as so often happens in motorsport, did the impossible. Tanak promised the beers were on him after the rally; if ever a credit card limit deserved to be reached, it was in the M-Sport hotel bar last night...
Oh, and in the background, Ogier simply got his head down and clocked up another WRC victory, his third out of three in 2015. Another title in the offing? Another run of total Loeb-like domination? Well, he is very, very good.
Admit it - noone saw this coming
Heard the one about the Lada that entered the World Touring Car Championship? It was... quickest straight out the box in first qualifying of the opening round in Argentina. Ha ha? No, deadly serious. OK, the brand-new Vista couldn't keep up such time-topping performances after developing new car teething troubles, but it was still quick enough for lead driver Rob Huff to exclaim he was 'shocked' at the speed - "we've got one hell of a car".
Lada's been running in WTCC for several years now, to little acclaim as SEATs, Hondas and now Citroens steal the headlines (although it has picked up the odd win and pole position). The plucky team of decided underdogs may just be about to come good in 2015 though: we'll follow Huff at his word, give them six races and a bit more testing, and see where they are...
The plot thickens at Sauber...
It's all getting a bit messy over at Sauber. Last year, its worst in more than two decades of F1, saw it almost go to the wire. It survived though, securing more than 300 Swiss jobs, but there have been repercussions. Namely, taking on two drivers with lorryloads of cash instead of the contracted drivers they apparently had signed up for 2015. Out went Giedo van der Garde and Esteban Gutierrez, in came Former Caterham F1 driver Marcus Ericsson and former British F3 champ (and 2014 Williams F1 reserve driver) Felipe Nasr.
There are even uncorroborated rumours that, by signing up Ericsson, Sauber was able to get advance payments so it could remain in business last year.
Van der Garde isn't happy though. And has taken Sauber to court in Australia to enforce his contract for 2015. It's literally underway now: a decision has been adjourned until Wednesday, but this could indeed see one of the incumbents ousted and van der Garde slotted into for the Melbourne GP. What the mechanics whose jobs were saved by swapping van der Garde for Ericsson or Nasr make of this isn't known; it'll certainly be an interesting team garage if the Supreme Court of Victoria rules he has to step in...
[Images: Lada from FIAWTCC.com, all others from LAT].