it Was hard to tell which of the four should not ride up yesterday on the podium, but what is certain is that in the end, Sébastien Ogier paved the way. Don’t get me wrong, the Gap is deserved, more than anyone else the victory. Throughout the weekend we saw without errors, with drawn a lot more clean than those of their peers, and piloting as if it were a true specialist in asphalt. There is to recognize, that the learning of the Volkswagen drivers about the surface has evolved so much over the years that joined the performance almost perfect in the Polo R WRC on this surface, have simply become unbeatable to not be by a riding error.
And at the end gave the least expected. Ogier, with an income of more than 50 seconds after the stage of yesterday, dispensing your advantage in a smart way during all Sunday paid his insatiable thirst, attacking once more to get the already unnecessary to award the points from the Power Stage. Obviously, any error committed by the galo is disculpable by a lot of which ends up with an idyllic triplet. He forgives everything after a season as full as this.
What is certain is that Latvala returned to being the ‘pupae’. It is not by chance. The Finnish is all heart, but there is always going to the limit, half a meter beyond the rest, climbing onto the walls and shortening in virtually sites that no one dares to go, or even the rest of the pilots of the signature of Wolfsburg. The prick turned him from the victory, but gave us a fierce battle of three bands with Mikkelsen and Sordo as other guests at the party.
In the case of Deaf could not do more. The Bridge of San Miguel squeezed the Hyundai i20 WRC provided by the site, pushing the limits of the bodywork of three doors in which will be his penultimate rally before we can hope to in the new model, with that already in order to close the gap between the models koreans and Volkswagen. For the sake of the excitement in the WRC, let’s hope that it is less utopian than it sounds.
Was unfair let him off the podium in the cantabrian, however everything pointed to that it was going to be new 3-2-1 with a marked German accent. The coup de theatre final has returned to put the finishing touches to a good Rally of Catalunya, arguably one of the best of the latest editions and tenor of the errors, also one of the most difficult for pilots that have been paid on the basis of outputs of track the little margin that gives the appointment of catalonia.
Kubica, Neuville, Tanak, Evans, Bertelli on two occasions, Lappi, our rookies of the WRC2… All of them have tested the resistance of the decoration of the roads and tracks in tarragona. And thank you, as the rain may have complicated even more the development of a test that has been found in stretches with a superb look and with great security measures. Despite this, there has been surprising back to see mindless sitting with their backs to the road, at the same level as the asphalt, and just on the other side of the guardarrail, with no power of reaction.
Returning to sports, to Neuville has become to see lost. The belgian needed the season pass soon and begin to think in the key of 2016, either with one and another computer. Or with Paddon, or who is Deaf has been able to do anything and what is certain is that Hyundai now needs to positivism and to continue working all together in the same direction, any thing that deviates from that direction will be a mistake.
For its part, Citroën continues to assert its mode ‘fisherman’. Possibly with a better car than the i20 and the Fiesta RS, the signature of the two chevrones is tying the runners-up of marks at base of keep, and wait for the error of the Hyundai. With Neuville in the mood shown from Mexico, the task provided them with an income that allows them to go to Wales to continue with the same strategy of ‘swim and save the clothes’. Eye! The four points of difference can be misleading, and the entry of Paddon can be a revitalizing in the fight more interesting than what remains to us of the championship. Since then the new zealander returned to give the ‘Do of chest’ in a surface that has only played 8 rally in your life
If, among the World Rally Cars, we have the feeling that the Polo R WRC are unbeatable, the truth is that in WRC2 the situation is similar. Skoda has copied what has been done by Volkswagen three years ago, delaying its entry between the R5 and coming in with a winning product from the first kilometer and is highly attractive among the riders-customers. The best of them undoubtedly has been Nasser Al-Attiyah has been attached to his co-pilot in the Dakar to the perfection and the top has achieved the title of Champion of the World with the same weapons the czechs. Second time in a year after crowned in the Rally-Raid is more famous in the planet with a MINI of X-Raid dress in the colors of Red Bull.
In relation to our, both Nil as the ‘Rocket’ went out, spurred on by the fans, sometimes, the Catalan too runaway and noticing that you still lack to have the same feeling on asphalt than on land. In the first stage, despite the problems, both left good feedback, hopefully to see you both fighting for positions of honour the next season, either in WRC2 or ERC.
In terms of the Rally of Catalunya itself, breathed again, a great atmosphere (leaving aside the issue of smell of ‘grass’ in practically all sections), aided by the power of attraction of the classics and an issue in terms of how competitive it was very exciting until the last moment despite being almost all resolved as to what competitive. With the slogan of the 7 new stretches, despite the fact that many were the same as those of other editions with shorter distances or in a different direction, the of 2015 has been, at least from the side of the road, one of the best of recent years.
