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WRC ADAC Rallye Deutschland Review

23 Aug , 2011   David  

Sebastien Loeb is nearly unbeatable on tarmac and was the obvious favorite at the 2011 ADAC Rallye Deutschland held in Germany, but it was the other Sebastien driving for Citroen that took home the victory. Loeb got off to a great start, but a puncture on stage 14 left him chasing Ogier. Despite Loeb’s Power Stage victory, Ogier had too much and took first place for a 1-2 finish for Citroen.

Sebastien Ogier Rally Germany

Ogier’s victory snaps Loeb’s amazing streak of 8 consecutive wins in Germay. “For sure I really like to win in Germany but I cannot be perfect every time and every year I say that one day it will stop and it stopped this time. I was unlucky yesterday but I tried my best,” said an less than happy Loeb. It also vaulted Ogier up to 2nd place, 25 points behind teammate Loeb, in the driver’s championship standings. “Mathematically the championship is still possible and I have to believe I have a chance. As long as there is a chance then I am going to try,” said Ogier.

Germany also marked another first… a podium finish for the new Mini team. Dani Sordo fought off Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen to claim the 3rd and final podium spot, an impressive and encouraging finish for Mini. Kris Meeke, Sordo’s Mini teammate, also had an impressive showing sitting in 5th place until suffering alternator failure on the penultimate stage. Mini team boss David Richards had nothing but good things to say about his drivers and team. “I don’t know where to start to thank all the people who have made this possible,” exclaimed Richards. “If I look at the long list of everyone who has had faith in this project from the very first day we started it’s a long one, and I would like to thank every one of them as without them none of this would be possible. Dani has driven an impeccable event, and never put a foot wrong. I never doubted his abilities.”

Dani Sordo Mini Cooper

Mikko Hirvonen battled hard to catch Sordo, but his 4th place finish was not enough to hold of Ogier in the driver’s points standings. Mikko’s teammate Jari Matti Latvala, who now sits in 4th place in the driver’s championship standings, finished Germany in 14th after having to restart on Sunday under Super Rally rules after crashing on Saturday’s final stage. Latvala was impressive, taking a stage victory on Sunday, but a puncture on stage 17 added to his misfortune.

Petter Solberg held onto his 5th place standing in the Driver’s Championship with a 5th place finish in Germany. Solberg had a frustrating weekend battling multiple punctures throughout the event. Petter was able to secure the final bonus point in the Power Stage.

Kimi Raikkonen back from his foray in the Nascar Truck circuit finished in an impressive 6th place despite suffering punctures on multiple stages. Kimi was not satisfied with his performance, “There were too many mistakes and I didn’t drive many stages well. It is behind me now.” Kimi also announced he will be skipping Rally Australia.

Ken Block tackles the tarmac at ADAC Rallye Deutschland in his Monster Energy Ford Fiesta

Germany marked Ken Block’s return to WRC, after missing events to focus on Gymkhana 4, X-Games and other events. Germany marked Block’s first event in tarmac trim in his WRC Ford Fiesta and it showed. Block struggled to keep up with the pack and finished back in 17th place, almost 20 minutes behind Ogier. “This was just a really tough weekend for me,” said Block. “Last year I came out to Germany and was putting down pretty good stage times. This year, I just wasn’t able to put it together. It’s very frustrating and I’m definitely not happy about it, but based on how everyone else’s weekend went, I clearly wasn’t alone in my struggles. It seemed like a difficult race for everybody. At the end of the day, I need to remember that I just don’t have the same level experience as the rest of the field when it comes to tarmac and be pleased that the setbacks we ran into weren’t more serious.”

Next up on the WRC schedule is Rally Australia, Sept. 8-11.

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