Volkswagen and Ogier extend their lead in the championship
Volkswagen claimed a hard-fought win at the toughest rally of the year. In difficult, variable conditions, defending champions Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) secured the fourth victory of the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship for the Polo R WRC – the eighth in a row for Volkswagen including the events at the end of last season. The duo’s 19th triumph was far from a walk in the park – the Rally Portugal featured three different manufacturers on the podium, duels that came down to tenths of a second, and three different leaders over the course of the rally. The Volkswagen pairing of Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) ended the rally fourth overall. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) fought back after a crash on Friday. In doing so, they picked up valuable points in the Manufacturers’ Championship and finished runner-up behind Sébastien Ogier on the closing Power Stage, on which bonus points were up for grabs for the fastest three drivers.
Cooling off, Ogier flies through the water splash
“The Rally Portugal was just as we expected – difficult for the team and drivers, but ultimately successful,” said a delighted Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neußer, Volkswagen Board Member for Technical Development. “Our duo of Ogier/Ingrassia once again showed their class in difficult conditions. But the team also did another fantastic job. The way they managed to get Jari-Matti Latvala’s back up and running within the allotted time after his crash was mighty impressive. Another reason this trip to Portugal has been so worthwhile for me is that it is great to experience the enthusiasm of the many fans lining the route and cheering our drivers on so magnificently.”
“Recce”, tyres, rally action – the stories from the Rally Portugal
The rally in Portugal soon developed into an eventful and successful week for the Volkswagen team. The prologue to the success story came courtesy of Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia, who won the “Fafe Rally Spring” show event in front of 140,000 spectators. Persistent heavy rain then made for particularly difficult conditions at the Rally Portugal: the “Recce” had to be delayed at times, and special stages were shortened due to soft ground on the saturated route. Despite the return of the sunshine, the Friday of the rally was dominated by the tricky issue of tyre selection – Michelin’s softer compound emerged as the ideal choice over the course of the rally. With only 16 soft tyres available, pacing the tyres was top priority by Sunday.
Quote after day three of the Rally Portugal
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“Four wins in five years. It is no exaggeration: the Rally Portugal is one of my very favourites! The whole week has been fantastic for Julien and me. First the fantastic show in front of more than 100,000 fans at the ‘Fafe Rally Sprint’, and now the icing on the cake with our title defence at the Rally Portugal on the Algarve. The encouragement and support of the fans is rather special here. We only took as many risks as needed on soft tyres on the final day. Despite this, our goal was obviously to pick up the three points on the Power Stage, although Jari-Matti did not make it easy for me. The lead in the World Championship is now a bit larger, but the opposition is not sleeping – Mikko Hirvonen and Mads Østberg showed that. I heard that Markku Alén is the uncrowned king with five wins in Portugal. We can achieve that too next year. That is our goal.”
