Could British rallying be set for a renaissance?

Online Sport Editor Jamie Klein analyses the potential implications of last weekend’s Monte Carlo Rally for UK rally fans, and examines the chances of British hopefuls Kris Meeke and Elfyn Evans.

After years in the wilderness, it may be that last weekend’s Monte Carlo rally marks the beginning of a long-awaited resurgence for the sport of rallying the UK.

A third place finish for Ulsterman Kris Meeke behind the wheel of a Citroen marks the first time in 11 long, painful years that a Briton has finished on the podium of a World Rally Championship event. The last Brit to do so? The late Richard Burns, at Rally Australia in 2003.

2014 is the year that Meeke, who is now 34 years of age, has finally been handed the break he’s deserved for much of his career. A protégé of Britain’s other rallying mega-star of yesteryear, Colin McRae, Meeke missed out on the chance to drive for Citroen back in 2006, teammate Dani Sordo beating him to the preceding year’s junior title.

Kris Meeke, pictured driving for Citroen last year, ended an 11-year wait for a British podium finisher in WRC last weekend. Photo: carwitter.com

After several years in the wilderness, Meeke re-emerged on the rally scene in earnest in 2009 with Peugeot, sealing the Intercontinental Rally Challenge title the following season. That put Meeke back in the WRC fray, throwing in his lot with the new BMW-backed Prodrive effort in 2011, but funding shortages saw him ditched after just a handful of rallies.

Just when it appeared Meeke’s hopes of a full-time WRC drive looked to be over, the very team that had cast him aside all those years ago offered him a lifeline. Two rallies with Citroen last year were enough for Meeke to show that he deserved one of two permanent seats this year – despite not finishing either of them!

In a rally marked by atrocious conditions, Meeke defied his reputation by keeping his car on the road where several of his rivals were unable to, finishing a fine third place, just under two minutes in arrears of reigning champion Sebastien Ogier and a similar margin ahead of new teammate Mads Ostberg, who claimed fourth place.

But, podium finishes alone are not going to be enough to re-ignite British interest in rallying. If the public are going to sit up and pay attention to the degree they did in the McRae-Burns era, a Brit needs to start winning rallies – and lots of them.

Unfortunately, it’s doubtful that Meeke is the right man for that particular job. As luck would have it though, there is another young hopeful waiting in the wings who may just have what it takes to really spark a full-blown renaissance for British rallying – Elfyn Evans.

The son of former rally driver Gwyndaf, it’s been a swift rise to the highest level for Evans. After finishing runner-up in the British Rally Championship in 2011, the Welshman dominated the entry-level WRC Academy series in 2012 before impressing during a part-time campaign in the second tier WRC-2 series last year.

Promoting Evans to a full-time M-Sport seat alongside ex-F1 star Robert Kubica and veteran Mikko Hirvonen with so little experience thus represents something of a gamble, but the 25-year-old was in fact the only one of the trio to make the finish in Monte Carlo, holding his own to clinch a highly respectable sixth place finish.

The successes of Burns (left) and McRae (right) ensured rallying enjoyed a high profile in the UK in the late nineties and early noughties. Photo: fanaticosdelrally.com

It will take time for Evans to develop into a driver capable of winning rallies at the highest level, but the promise he has shown so far is undeniable. After all, recently departed nine-time champion Sebastien Loeb didn’t win his first rally until the age of 28, and it’s far from inconceivable that Evans will have stood on the top step of the podium in three year’s time.

A generational shift looks to be taking place in the rallying world. The old guard, Loeb’s generation, have all departed the scene, and time is clearly running out for such experienced drivers as Hirvonen and Sordo, neither of whom have the sheer pace and consistency to challenge for the title and look set to be relegated to supporting roles at their respective teams.

The immediate future belongs to Volkswagen’s Ogier, who is now clearly WRC’s benchmark driver, as well as Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and M-Sport’s Kubica, the only two drivers who, for now, look to have the pace to truly threaten the Frenchman.

For Meeke, it’s probably a bit too late to join that exclusive club even if he’s sure to rack up more podium finishes this season – and maybe, if circumstances permit, a first win for a British rally driver since his late mentor McRae won the Safari Rally in 2002.

But, it’s Evans who British rallying fans should be looking towards to well and truly make the British public sit up and take notice of the sport once again.

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Rallying could be poised to recover from forgettable season

It’s undoubtedly been a year of disappointment for fans of the World Rally Championship. In Volkswagen’s first full season of competition, the German marque has wiped the floor with its opposition thanks to the sterling efforts of their star driver, Sebastien Ogier.

He may not have quite sealed the deal yet, but, for the tenth time in succession, the WRC crown will go to a Frenchman by the name of Sebastien. Ogier needs to collect just a single point in the remaining three rallies of the season to clinch the title; suffice to say the champagne in the Volkswagen camp is firmly on ice and the corkscrew close to hand.

Having won six rallies this season, Volkswagen driver Ogier is on the cusp of a maiden WRC title. Photo credits: Martin Benitez (via Flickr)

Citroen, who with the help of Sebastien Loeb had hitherto dominated the rallying scene for a decade, have crumbled this season. The French concern has only won three rallies all season – the Monte Carlo and Argentina rallies by Loeb, who has been competing on a part-time basis this year, and a long overdue maiden win for Dani Sordo in Germany.

Mikko Hirvonen, considered the title favourite at the start of the year (or at the least co-favourite with Ogier), has failed to win a single rally all year, and his career is now at a crossroads. It has been strongly suggested that the Finn will be heading to Hyundai for next season, who are re-entering the championship having previously competed without success in the early part of last decade.

The jury is out over whether Sordo will remain with Citroen. His win at Germany, whilst fortuitous as several of his rivals crashed out, including Ogier, has given him a chance of staying on. But the experienced Spaniard is highly unlikely to ever win the title and will only be retained as a counterweight to a more promising, younger talent.

One possible candidate to fulfil such a role could be Britain’s Kris Meeke. In a one-off outing in Rally Australia, the Ulsterman showed great promise even if he did throw away what would have been a fourth place finish with a final-day crash. Britain has lacked a rallying hero since Colin McRae and Richard Burns both departed the stage a decade ago, and the prospect of Meeke winning rallies could help to revive moribund British interest in rallying.

Another driver who would assist in generating some headlines for rallying is ex-Formula One star Robert Kubica, who has gradually built up a solid reputation on the loose stuff since the accident at the start of 2011 that curtailed his F1 career. Kubica is likely to compete in selected rallies next season for Citroen, and it will be fascinating to see how he gets on against the cream of the rallying crop.

But, the man most widely touted to spearhead Citroen’s charge in coming seasons is the young Belgian Thierry Neuville, who has impressed enormously this season with his speed and consistency. Neuville is the only driver that can theoretically deny Ogier this year’s title, although, in order to do so, he would have to score maximum points at the remaining three rallies without Ogier scoring a single point.

Though there’s more chance of Crystal Palace coming on top of this season’s Premier League table than the above scenario coming to fruition, 2013 could be remembered as the year that Neuville really established himself as future champion material, as well as, of course, the year that Volkswagen and Ogier utterly obliterated the competition.

Neuville could prove to be Ogier’s fiercest competitor in years to come. Photo credits: Martin Benitez (via Flickr)

But, Neuville’s rise to prominence certainly provides a glimmer of optimism that the WRC isn’t necessarily headed for a period of sustained dominance by a single driver similar to the one rallying fans have had to endure since Loeb began to re-write the record books all those years ago.

What’s more, Volkswagen’s overwhelming superiority hasn’t quite taken as severe a toll on the entry lists as I had previously feared. Citroen, due to enter the World Touring Car Championship next season with Loeb, seem to be keen to stick around, and their active consideration of drivers such as Meeke and Neuville is a promising indicator of their intention to take the fight to Volkswagen.

The British-based M-Sport team, who have continued to run a brace of Ford Fiestas without the financial backing of the American car giant this season for Neuville and others, is also set to stay put with its Qatari backing despite having recently expanded its activities to include GT racing. Whether its collaboration with Bentley in this field will distract them from their rallying operation nonetheless remains to be seen.

Hyundai meanwhile are pressing ahead with their plans to join the series next season, and signing a proven winner such as Hirvonen would represent an enormous coup for the Korean firm. Whilst their experience may be lacking in relation to their European rivals, there’s no doubt that Hyundai have the financial clout necessary for success if they are sufficiently committed.

It may not have been a classic season for rallying by any stretch of the imagination, but signs that a marked improvement in the WRC’s fortunes may not too far away have emerged.

Jamie Klein, Online Sport Editor