This season, the best racers of the world have no luck, even cry. After victories in Monte Carlo and Sweden — on asphalt and snow and ice Rally — Sebastien Ogier failed just six gravel stages, never being able to climb to the top step of the podium.
It came to the incredible — a «great and terrible» the Frenchman began to move the throne! No, the pursuers were still a good distance away, but much closer than it used earlier.
However, no matter how abused Volkswagen Motorsport pilot or his bosses operating rules for determining the starting position, the fans dubbed the «anti-Ogier,» nothing can be done — it is necessary to try to fight the new conditions. But while it is impossible — on account of the zero Sebastien season victories on gravel rally.
Rally Germany can not be called successful for the Frenchman — during the years of performances in the Citroen he won here only one victory in 2011. Peres Volkswagen, he brought the team its first victory at home race only in the third year — in 2015.
The race this year was to be special for Volkswagen Motorsport — this is the last rally for team boss Jost Capito. After the Rally of Germany, he left the rally team and goes to McLaren, to lead the team in Formula 1. This event deserves a special gift from the riders to the boss, is not it? And they rasstaralis true staging with great interteam duel and let us make a lot of mistakes.
The first difference Jari-Matti Latvala. But gathering information about it in the same lane-vom dope Rally Germany no surprise, but the cause of vanishing — but he went out and crashed the car, he simply broke the gearbox. At the same dope, by the way, it was Eric Camilli and Ford, but here is just business as usual — departures from the road.
In the second special stage came the turn of worry for the team leader Sebastien Ogier. The Frenchman made a mistake by going in a straight line in one of the turns, and missed the lead in the race, behind two opponents at once — his team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen and Hyundai Motorsport driver Thierry Neuville.
As a result, instead of having to create a gap between the contenders over the next seven special stages three-time world champion had to recoup. But it turned out it is not immediately...
Belgian resisted for long — only three dopa — and then on the final special stage gave way to the pressure of Ogier and gave him the second position.
But Mikkelsen had a serious resistance to his comrade-in-arms, and finished the first day of the race leader. The unprecedented event — Norway's claim to victory in the asphalt Rally Germany. This did not even Petter Solberg!
But the dream dreams and reality a reality. At the beginning of the second and the longest of the day, Andreas started with the wrong choice of tires. Yes, the weather and the road conditions were very difficult, but it is these «schools» cost leadership Mikkelsen that he missed in the middle of the second day.
The accident crew Eric Camilli / Benjamin Veillas (M-Sport WRT)
And missed, as they say, once and for all. But — absolutely the case. Judge for yourself, for the entire race of Norway won only two special stages — one on the first day and one in the second. The same Ogier won seven times, and Thierry Neuville — five.
On Sunday Norwegian pilot Volkswagen Motorsport finally killed all chances to win — and, as it turned out later, on the podium — after leaving in the morning from the service park with two spare wheels instead of one, as his main rivals.
Superfluous kgs served as a serious handicap, moreover they influenced not only on speed but also on the life of the brakes — they just could not stand the whole distance of special stages Sunday. As a result, Andreas Mikkelsen was able to not only get involved in the fight for victory, but also the other way around — missed as the second and third position.
It's a shame, but to blame the incident is only the pilot and no one else — the last word in the selection of rubber compounds and the number of spare wheels is always behind him and nothing for anyone. More surprising, that the first lead, and then the podium Norwegian missed because of the rubber. He should think about this in the future.
Mikkelsen offenders were two pilots Hyundai Motorsport Dani Sordo and Thierry Neuville. Also it was necessary to happen that at the finish podium all three places were occupied by riders to win on Rally Germany! So fate decreed.
And most of the race the Spaniard was behind the Belgian, but in the final day of the inflated rate and forced his teammate lost the position — and with it, and Mikkelsen!
Excellent results in the performance of the Spanish veteran. Especially given the fact that it is only once the fastest time — on the first Sunday dope. But Neville won five special stages, but lost all the conquered during the race advantage.
Speech Sordo was appreciated by the team — at the end of Rally Germany was announced to extend the contract with Dani. This is good news. But, unfortunately, we were this weekend and very unpleasant news.
Protege factory team Citroen WRT Stéphane Lefebvre came to the start of the German stage of the World Rally Championship in private. But once I rode very well by intervening in the fighting on the border of the top five for the first time in his career, winning one and special stages.
However, on the tenth special stage — the legendary Panzerplatte Lang — Citroen DS3 WRC at number 10 slipped in the right corner, flew out, caught a few concrete barriers-hinkelshtaynov and flew into the trees. The speed at the time of departure was about 170 km / h, so he struck the terrible.
The photograph from the event you can not look without a shudder — one Valea schiysya separately from the vehicle engine which is worth it!
Shocking details and — as a result of the accident the crew was trapped inside the body warped. Launched after countryman and friend Stephen Eric Camilli course stopped at the broken car, but he was able to provide only moral support to his fellow competitors.
Came to the rescue a little later, doctors and rescue workers carried out the evacuation and sent Lefebvre, together with navigator Gabin Moreau to the hospital. There doctors performed on-adherence to and immediately conducted an operation Gabenu — unlike Stephen, he suffered greatly. Fractures, internal injuries — how he wrote on his page on Facebook «go back I will not be very soon...»
Nevertheless — and the pilot and navigator were alive, he could not fail to please. Even if the car and shattered.
The next stage of the World Rally Championship was to be China rally, but organizers announced the lifting for some confusing and unclear reasons. So now we have to wait until the Tour de Corse Rally, which will take place in late September — early October.
