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.
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.
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
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