RE: Ogier beats Loeb in Sweden
Monday 11th February 2013
It might be his retirement year, but Seb Loeb has so far shown no intention of letting up, taking victory at last month's Monte Carlo Rally. But the nine-time world champion was denied the chance of a repeat performance, as fellow Frenchman Sebastien Ogier managed to hold him off to take home the spoils at Rally Sweden.
Ogier looked strong all weekendOgier led from the first day, pulling out a half-minute lead over Loeb, and despite constant pressure from the second-place man, Ogier kept his cool and pulled the gap out further to 41s by the time he crossed the finish line on Sunday.
Loeb was denied a second win of fourSo, does Ogier have what it takes to be the next French Sebastien at the top of rallying? Well if Sweden’s performance was anything to go by, things look promising. That said, Mads Ostberg posted some quick times on Friday morning, with only an overheating problem on his M-Sport Fiesta putting paid to a potential challenge for victory. Jari-Matti Latvala came in just six seconds behind Ostberg in the second Polo, suggesting that he could be in the mix later in the season too. Assuming, that is, he can keep it on the stage.
Ogier beats Loeb in Sweden
Turns out it takes a Frenchman called Sebastien to beat a Frenchman called Sebastien
Ogier looked strong all weekend
It was a solid performance, and one which gave Ogier the championship lead. It was also the first victory for the VW WRC team; their car, the Polo R WRC, has been tipped as one to watch by many rally pundits, and this weekend its proved its mettle, suggesting that it has what it takes to mix it with the DS3s that have dominated recent years.
The result was all the more impressive as it’s only the second time that a non-Scandinavian driver has taken the top spot in Sweden. The first was back in 2004, when the top spot was taken by ... erm ... Sebastien Loeb. Well, there’s a surprise.
Loeb was denied a second win of four
It was his former team-mate Mikko Hirvonen who provided the first big off of the event, though, and one which he struggled to recover from, finishing 17th. Meanwhile Hirvonen’s fellow Citroen driver Dani Sordo had an off on Sunday which resulted in his retirement.
The weekend belonged to Ogier and to VW, though. Overhauling Loeb without the aid of a mistake or a retirement is a tall order; even more so on one of his favourite events. It sets us up for a season which may see fans of Frenchmen called Sebastien rewarded with even more success for their new man at the top.
Discussion
I apologise in advance that the only reason I'm posting is to be negative.
Who gives a flying f
k? WRC is a poor shadow of the old GpB days, and I am the first to say that things move on.
However, its become formulaic, like F1, all the cars start to look alike, have so many restraints and constructions that you may as well just pluck names out of a hat to decide who wins.
A fantastic sport, has, in my eyes, become dreary and past its 'sell by' date...
Apologies again.
I'm going outside to start up the 6R4 and have some REAL fun in the snow...
Who gives a flying f
k? WRC is a poor shadow of the old GpB days, and I am the first to say that things move on.However, its become formulaic, like F1, all the cars start to look alike, have so many restraints and constructions that you may as well just pluck names out of a hat to decide who wins.
A fantastic sport, has, in my eyes, become dreary and past its 'sell by' date...
Apologies again.
I'm going outside to start up the 6R4 and have some REAL fun in the snow...
ArnageWRC said:
Another Rally thread, and more WRC bashing, and another mention of GpB......
It’s like groundhog day....
I can understand your frustration, constantly reading about how Grp B was better/Escorts are better/Rallying in the olden days was better.It’s like groundhog day....
But i hope that you can also understand the frustrations of a huge pool of rally fans out there, who have seen a once fantastic sport become relegated to a 25 minute slot on YouTube.
Trying to put a positive spin on the WRC at the moment is about as hard as trying to find the positives in Schumacher and Ferrari winning 5 championships in a row.
11110111 said:
forgetting grB's for a moment - since when did a polo become a WRC winning car? It gets worse and worse...
Kind of agree. I do however feel a sense of optimism that a new manufacture has just entered the sport and in only there second outing have managed to beat the Loeb/Citroen dynasty.rtz62 said:
you may as well just pluck names out of a hat to decide who wins.
Very true, if the only name that ever went into the hat was Sebastian Loeb for the PAST 10 YEARS.Is it any wonder that WRC is on the decline with stalwarts like you who refuse to look past GpB, life moves on, for some
RX7 your quite right. Except where you're wrong.
I HAVE looked, I don't enjoy what I see, and think F1 and WRC are anodyne. I'm afraid I'm one of the statistics that presses the button to switch channel when they come on.
It's a sad state of affairs that I prefer Moto GP to F1 (I'm not and never have been a biker) but at least the racing is close and varied. Oh and they.... What's the word?.......that's it!....,,. OVERTAKE!
I HAVE looked, I don't enjoy what I see, and think F1 and WRC are anodyne. I'm afraid I'm one of the statistics that presses the button to switch channel when they come on.
It's a sad state of affairs that I prefer Moto GP to F1 (I'm not and never have been a biker) but at least the racing is close and varied. Oh and they.... What's the word?.......that's it!....,,. OVERTAKE!
rwindmill said:
ArnageWRC said:
Another Rally thread, and more WRC bashing, and another mention of GpB......
It’s like groundhog day....
I can understand your frustration, constantly reading about how Grp B was better/Escorts are better/Rallying in the olden days was better.It’s like groundhog day....
But i hope that you can also understand the frustrations of a huge pool of rally fans out there, who have seen a once fantastic sport become relegated to a 25 minute slot on YouTube.
Trying to put a positive spin on the WRC at the moment is about as hard as trying to find the positives in Schumacher and Ferrari winning 5 championships in a row.
However, watching the WRC live is still fantastic; the speeds and commitment are awesome. We just need another 2-3 teams, with another 6-7 drivers challenging Ogier at the front.
rtz62 said:
RX7 your quite right. Except where you're wrong.
I HAVE looked, I don't enjoy what I see, and think F1 and WRC are anodyne. I'm afraid I'm one of the statistics that presses the button to switch channel when they come on.
It's a sad state of affairs that I prefer Moto GP to F1 (I'm not and never have been a biker) but at least the racing is close and varied. Oh and they.... What's the word?.......that's it!....,,. OVERTAKE!
I have never really been a religious F1 fan either, always bikes, but really, hardly much overtaking in that much the last few years, well certainly up the sharp end except for the one pass to get to the front (motogp).I HAVE looked, I don't enjoy what I see, and think F1 and WRC are anodyne. I'm afraid I'm one of the statistics that presses the button to switch channel when they come on.
It's a sad state of affairs that I prefer Moto GP to F1 (I'm not and never have been a biker) but at least the racing is close and varied. Oh and they.... What's the word?.......that's it!....,,. OVERTAKE!
Each to their own of course, but i enjoyed groupB as much as the mcrae, sainz, burns, grundholme (to name a few) days. It has got a little turgid over recent years but would be more inclined to watch if there was regular and decent coverage
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