Press release
4KB
october 03, 2016 - Volkswagen
Home, speed home – Ogier in a league of his own on day one of the Rally France
Four stages, four fastest times – Ogier/Ingrassia open commanding lead on home soil
Latvala/Anttila and Mikkelsen/Jæger within touching distance of the podium in third and fourth
Wolfsburg (30 September 2016). It doesn't get any better than this. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) made a perfect start to the #rally France on #corsica in their #polorwrc. The three-time world champions, who could claim the title for the fourth time in a row with victory at their home race - provided other results go their way – won all four special stages on the opening day of round ten of this season's FIA World #rally Championship (WRC). Two of the duos out to prevent the Frenchmen from getting their hands on the title this weekend are their #volkswagen team-mates, who are also on course for success: Jari-Matti Latvala/Mikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) ended day one in third place, just ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger (N/N) in fourth. Second place after 157.68 of 390.92 kilometres against the clock is occupied by Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B, Hyundai). While Ogier/Ingrassia opened a commanding lead of 44 seconds, just 15 seconds separate the chasing pack of three in their battle for second and third.
The opening day featured some typical Corsican special stages: narrow, winding roads and long sections put driver, co-driver and car through their paces in gorgeous autumn weather.
Quotes after day one of the #rally France
Sébastien Ogier, #volkswagen #polorwrc 1
"An ideal opening day for Julien and me – beautiful stages, superb weather and a perfect car. The key to stage one was to find our rhythm. Looking at the lead we opened, we appear to have done just that. It was pretty hot in the cockpit in the afternoon, particularly on the long 50-kilometre stage. We have a similarly demanding day ahead of us tomorrow, particularly if the weather deteriorates. However, we obviously want to continue as we were today, to make sure we win in the end. That is definitely the goal at our home #rally."
Jari-Matti Latvala, #volkswagen #polorwrc 2
"We were a little too cautious at first, but gradually found our rhythm the further into the #rally we got. We can make a few improvements here and there, for example when braking, but apart from that we are #racing the right way for the #rally #corsica. That only makes the outstanding times set by our team-mate #sebastienogier all the more astonishing. Hats off to his performance. We will obviously try to stick with him tomorrow and on Sunday. If we can, we have a good chance of finishing on the podium."
Andreas Mikkelsen, #volkswagen #polorwrc 9
"We are not so much focusing on winning the world championship, but more on securing second place. With that in mind, we are going nicely in fourth place. I struggled to know how hard to brake in the morning. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of time as a result. Apart from that, though, it was a good day for us, but we have two more challenging days ahead to come."
Sven Smeets, #volkswagen Motorsport Director
"We could hardly hope for a better start to the #rally France. #sebastienogier was clearly in a league of his own, while Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen are also well-placed. First, third and fourth is more than we had expected and hoped for. However, everyone in the team is well aware that we are only one third of the way into the #rally and we still have a lot of work ahead of us. If we remain as focused as we have been so far, there is a good chance we will be rewarded with a strong result."
And then there was ...
... a little milestone. Andreas Mikkelsen is contesting his 75th #rally in the World #rally Championship at the #rally France - the 45th with #volkswagen and the tenth with his co-driver Anders Jæger. The Norwegian made his debut at the 2006 #rally Great Britain. Since then, he has finished on the podium on 18 occasions, including victories at the 2015 #rally Spain and the 2016 #rally Poland - all with the #polorwrc.
Standings after day two of the #rally France
01. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), #volkswagen, 1h 37m 52.8s
02. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Hyundai, + 44.0s
03. Jari-Matti Latala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), #volkswagen + 58.0s
04. Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger (N/N), #volkswagen, + 59.3s
05. Craig Breen/Scott Martin (GB/GB), Citroën, + 1m 18.7s
06. Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (NZ/NZ), Hyundai, + 1m 26.2s
07. Eric Camilli/Benjamin Veillas (F/F), Ford, + 2m 00.7s
08. Elfyn Evans/Craig Perry (GB/GB), Ford, + 2m 36.3s
09. Dani Sordo/Marc Martí (E/E), Hyundai, + 2m 39.1s
10. Mads Østberg/Ola Fløene (N/N), Ford, + 2m 41.9s
2016-WRC-10-BK6-0417
4256x2833, 2MB
2016-WRC-10-BK6-0455
4256x2833, 2MB
2016-WRC-10-BK6-1118
4256x2833, 2MB
2016-WRC-10-BK6-1139
4256x2833, 2MB
2016-WRC-10-BK6-1301
4256x2833, 3MB
2016-WRC-10-DR4-0283
4256x2833, 5MB
2016-WRC-10-HEM2-6790
4256x2833, 2MB
vw-20160929-3680
4256x2833, 2MB
Related news |
||
|
|
|
february 14, 2024
|
february 12, 2024
|
february 09, 2024
|
|
The eagerly awaited 2024 FIA Junior WRC season kicks off this week at the legendary Rally Sweden (15 – February).Based out of the ... |
The FIA Junior WRC is delighted to confirm a significant extension of its partnership with Wolf Lubricants, ensuring that the flee... |
After an impressive start to the season on the opening round at Rallye Monte-Carlo, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team re-centres itsel... |
Download all 
You might be interested in |
||
|
|
|
february 09, 2024
|
january 29, 2024
|
january 29, 2024
|
|
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team hopes to add to its success on snow and ice when it contests the only pure winter event in th... |
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team has started the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season with a double podium finish at Rally... |
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team reaches the end of the famous Rallye Monte-Carlo having achieved its goal of delivering both crews t... |
Italian 
Download all 
Share
Share via mail 
Automotive
Sport
Events
Art&Culture
Design
Fashion&Beauty
Food&Hospitality
Technology
Nautica
Racing
Excellence
Corporate
OffBeat
Green
Gift
Pop
Heritage
Entertainment
Health & Wellness