Skip to main content

Sebastien Ogier Looking Forward to Second Half of WRC Season

Although he’s leading the WRC driver’s standing by a margin of 51 points (ahead of teammate Andreas Mikkelsen), Sebastien Ogier admits that he has found the first half of this season frustrating.

After seven rallies, Ogier has won two races, come in second twice, in third twice, and he finished the latest rally in sixth place. Hardly shabby, but the Frenchman says he wants more.

“A real battle for a rally win would be nice again,” says Ogier. “Particularly since the field is very strong right now.”

886x498px_vw-20160701-7134__3_

The problem, as Ogier sees it, is actually that he is in first. Under WRC rules, the leader in the standings has to be the first one to drive through the rally stage. On gravel stages, the surface on which the drivers have mostly driven so far this year, that’s a major disadvantage.

Just how much of a disadvantage? Consider the fact that, despite not winning many rallies so far this season, Ogier has won six of the seven power stages (he came in second in Finland). These are revealing, because they’re the only events where the starting order is reversed.

886x498px_vw-20160424-0067

But there’s good news coming. Only three of  the remaining seven rallies are on gravel, though one is a mixed event. So on asphalt, where starting order is less of a deciding factor, Ogier should be able to show off his true speed.

The Frenchman will have to be careful on his way into the gravel Finnish rally this weekend, though, since his teammate, Andreas Mikkelsen, is looking to give him a better starting position.

[source]

The post Sebastien Ogier Looking Forward to Second Half of WRC Season appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2aedfpR
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Saying Goodbye to the CC V6

For all its size and its global reach, Volkswagen is still, in many ways, a deeply human company. There was, for instance, the Bugatti Veyron an ego project if ever there was one. Then the purchase of Ducati, a move most called folly. And then there was the Phaeton, the Volkswagen that most folks can’t afford. Not only were these moves all strange, I’m sure that they made VW’s accountants furious. None of them made good business sense, but they were all deeply interesting and they all are evidence of the heart that beats at the center of VW. Among these follies is the CC, a car that everyone agrees is rakishly handsome, but that no one really wanted to buy. The car couldn’t last, but the world is brighter for its having been in it. With the approach debut of the Arteon, it seems like a good time to look back on its sadly departing predecessor. The version I drove, because I live in Canada, is a V6 Wolfsburg Edition, which apparently isn’t available in the States. Nor is the V6, not as...

T-Prime Makes World Premiere at Beijing

[ See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com ] The SUV segment is one of the fastest growing segments in the world and Volkswagen is showing the world how to do it. With the new T-Prime Concept GTE that was revealed today, the company is showing off all of the technology you can look for in its coming models. The T-Prime is a full-size hybrid SUV that can go up to 31 miles on a charge and gets 87 mpg. The hybrid power station is good for 375 hp and 516 lb/ft of torque and puts the power down with 4MOTION all wheel drive. It’ll get you up to 60 in six seconds. The concept’s real party piece, though, is its interior, which features exclusively touch, gesture, and voice controls. Everything from the infotainment, to the display, and even the gears are controlled by touch-screen. The T-Prime Concept GTE is bigger than the Touareg, and design elements are likely to find their way into all of their SUVs, of which there will be many. Volkswagen is also announcing that they expect to make an S...

Audi Teases the e-tron’s Headlights Ahead of LA Reveal

Audi will unveil its new electric car, the e-tron GT, in just a few short days, but until then, it will do what manufacturers can’t help but do and will tease it mercilessly. The latest teaser images first appeared on Germany’s Bild , and feature some of the EV’s lighting. While the taillights look reasonably familiar, albeit on an interesting, angular surface, the headlights feature a heretofore unseen light shape. The X-shape (or maybe an R-shape, from the right angle) in the middle of the e-tron GT’s headlights set it apart from the rest of the lineup, even the e-tron SUV (whose lights look R8-ish with their angular check-shaped top line.) #Sneak Peek: the #Audi #etron GT concept – stay tuned for the big #world #premiere on November 28. pic.twitter.com/NIg0z6bIwR — AUDI AG (@Audi_Press) November 25, 2018 The long and low sedan will be based on the same platform as the Porsche Taycan, which is said to hit 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds and whose batteries will all be stowed...