Rally-eMag August 2013 | Page 7

Rally-eMag August 2013 / Contents Ogier can clinch it With five more rounds to go in the WRC Sebastien Ogier is already in position to claim the title. If he increases his lead by twenty two points in Germany the title is his. There is little doubt that the Frenchman will clinch the title this season, but if he manages to do so he will be the quickest world champion ever. Sebastien Loeb managed to claim the title with three rounds to go twice. If Ogier takes it in Germany there are still four rounds to go in which he can freely chase victories. This Month Neste Rally Finland - Is the battle over? The Inside View Sibiu Rally - Managing the team Romania Page 20 - Surving the land of Vlad Page 23 Page 10 The fact that Ogier will very likely be champion is not a real surprise. Before switching to VW to do a year in the Skoda Fabia he was the one who was regularly pushing Loeb for victory. Even in the Fabia he managed to win a stage in Sardinia. His natural talent coupled with his intense desire to win makes him an almost unstoppable force. The question was of course how good the new Polo R WRC would be. Volkswagen left nothing to chance and tested the car and the team for a full season, so we all expected them to be ready. The dominance they displayed however was something not many predicted. There would have had to be some sort of issues any starting team encountered, right? Wrong. The Germans came saw and conquered. Nobody but the nearly retired Loeb managed to beat them. 7/32 There is hope for some competition though, with Neuville maturing very quickly and Ostberg is on the pace bare his bad luck. Kris Meeke is also banging on the door on the door again, setting things up nicely for some close rallies to end the season! Enjoy reading! Steven van Veenendaal Editor Image:Bas Romeny Who made it? Publisher: Rally-eMag Words: Steven van Veenendaal, Harry van Veenendaal. Photography: Bas Romeny, Steven van Veenendaal. Who helped? Who we thank! How to reach us? Logo design: Minse Blom PR Photography from: Peugeot Sport, Hyundai Motorsport, Citroen Racing, FIA ERC. Email: [email protected] Web: www.rally-emag.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ emagrally Twitter: @emagrally Issuu: www.issuu.com/rally-emag Distribution: Issuu.com Columnists: Anna Louise Rudd, Michael Jenkins.