Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila celebrate in style after conquering the Acropolis
Jari-Matti Latvala first took on the “Acropolis” at the age of 18 and achieved his first win ten years later, claiming victory in one of the classic events of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) – the Rally Greece. And he stood at the top of the podium for the first time in Volkswagen’s racing colours. It was the 28-year-old’s eighth race win in the World Championship and his third podium finish, having claimed third place in Portugal and Argentina. Latvala won four of the 14 stages in Greece. So far, the Finn has achieved 276 SS best times. Latvala succeeded in adapting the Polo R WRC to his style of driving by changing the set-up of the differential at the Rally Argentina and making a number of minor adjustments in Greece. This paved the way for his success. Consistency, speed and perfectly calculated risk-taking enabled Latvala to bag his first win at the “Acropolis”.
The ultimate acid test – clouds of dust and melon-sized rocks
The Rally Greece is considered the ultimate acid test in the World Rally Championship. Thick dust, soaring temperatures, no end of coarse gravel and melon-sized rocks all put the three Volkswagen Polo R WRCs and the Volkswagen crews to the test. Although this season’s Rally Greece was shorter than in previous years, it remained just as punishing from start to finish for the cars in 2013. Deep grooves in soft sand alternated with rougher sections. Given the difficult conditions, the drivers’ starting positions on the three days of rallying played a crucial role in determining their chances.
VW Polo R kicks up the Greek dust
A real fighter – Sébastien Ogier’s setback and fightback
It started out as a small problem but it had a big impact: on the very first day, fuel pressure issues cost Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia their chance of securing another top finish. A cable connection came loose, interrupting the supply of power to the fuel pump. The Volkswagen team replaced the wiring loom in the Polo R WRC #8 just to be on the safe side. Having achieved five podium finishes in the first five rallies – including three wins – this setback in the very first stage of the “Acropolis” earned the pairing a ten-minute time penalty. Sébastien Ogier restarted under the Rally 2 regulations and fought his way into tenth place in the Special Stages on Saturday and Sunday, thereby winning one point for the overall standings in the Drivers’ Championship. Ogier also managed to secure three points by achieving the best time in the so-called Power Stage – when additional points are awarded for first, second and third – despite being at a disadvantage because he had to open the route. With this performance, Ogier defended his lead in the WRC. Now, almost halfway through the season, he is 52 points ahead of his team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, who edged up to second position by winning in Greece.
Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
“Winning the Rally Greece is a success for the whole team. Jari-Matti Latvala put in an absolutely perfect performance and really earned this win with patience and calculated risk-taking at the right time. The fact that a puncture would have made the difference between a win and a medal-less fourth shows just how much credit is due for this performance. Three different manufacturers on the podium is evidence that the World Rally Championship is a very close-run thing. That’s why I’m proud of the whole team and absolutely delighted for Jari-Matti. I was also very impressed by Andreas Mikkelsen here in Greece – he overcame all the difficulties he faced and took fourth place at the end with an unstoppable final spurt. Sébastien Ogier also deserves a great deal of respect for his performance – despite technical difficulties on day one, he made the best of the situation and ultimately collected valuable points for both WRC championships. Following on from this great performance across the board, I’m already looking forward to the Rally Italy in Sardinia in three weeks’ time.”
