Think world rally championship, and chances are the name Sebastien springs to mind. While it’s true that a certain Mr Loeb had a mortgage on the WRC title from 2004 to 2012, the mantle has now been taken over by his French compatriot, Sebastien Ogier, who showed the same crushing authority as his predecessor in annexing the 2013 championship in his Volkswagen Polo R WRC.
Consider this: Ogier amassed a mammoth 290 points in last year’s title race. His nearest competitor, Thierry Neuville, could muster only 176, while Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala, who was piloting an identical VW Polo R WRC to Ogier, finished with a tally of 162 points. To say the Frenchman was dominant would be a towering understatement. It was a season of pure Ogier-inflicted annihilation, with nine wins and two second-placings from 13 starts.
Ogier, 30, hails from Gap in the French Alps, not far from the special stages that form the iconic Rally Monte Carlo. It was here that he was able to watch his boyhood idol Ari Vatanen in action. The art of going sideways came naturally to Ogier, who started pulling his first drifts in a crosskart at the age of just eight. This latent ability continued to evolve, and he went on to win the Rally Jeunes, a competition for juniors run by the French motorsport federation (FFSA).
Although hugely talented, Ogier has had to live under the shadow of the all-conquering Loeb for much of his career at the top level. In fact, the two Sebs were teammates at the Citroen factory team in 2011, a season in which Ogier handed Loeb his first defeat at Rally Germany. He posted five wins that year – as many as Loeb – but relations between the two Frenchmen subsequently soured, and Ogier was left to pursue another drive for 2012.
Having secured the job of spearheading Volkswagen’s full-scale assault on the 2013 championship in the all-new Polo R, Ogier spent 2012 helping develop the car while contesting that season in a Skoda Fabia S2000.
The development work on the Polo clearly paid dividends, based on the results Ogier was able to notch up in 2013, but how big a surprise was it to be dominant from the outset? “Inside myself I had a lot of expectations, and I hoped so much for good results … the whole team did, but honestly I was surprised as we were competing against strong teams with a lot of experience,” Ogier told The National in an exclusive interview.
“It was not an easy challenge, but we got there. What was most surprising was what the team had created. OK, it’s one thing to build a car that’s quick, but the fact that it was so strong and reliable in its first year was the most surprising thing. We have to keep pushing and developing the car, as that’s the only way to stay on top. I think the Polo R is already close to the limit, but we keep working. There are always details that can be improved.”
As for his own driving, Ogier feels he’s close to his zenith, although he concedes there may still be room for improvement: “I had a great season last year, and it’s difficult to do too much better, but I feel every year of experience is important, especially in this sport. I’m sure I can be a little bit stronger, but even if I can maintain my current level it won’t be too bad.”
Regarding his favourite surface, Ogier has this to offer: “I love gravel, especially smooth gravel, where’s it’s pure driving because you don’t have to be careful about damaging or breaking the car due to the rough surface. I like to be able to drive flat out, such as in Finland. I also love Sweden, when the conditions are perfect.”
Although Ogier hails from the French Alps, he says the conditions he has to face in Sweden are different – not so much in terms of the texture of the snow, but more in terms of the profile of the roads. He adds that the strength of the Scandinavian drivers on their native roads also adds to the challenge.
“But now one of my strengths is that I’m able to fight for victory on every surface and in every rally. That’s something you need if you want to fight for the championship.”
Ogier looks set to do exactly that in 2014, although teammate Latvala has thrown down the gauntlet from the outset, leading the title race by five points after the opening two rounds of the season. This is going to get interesting.
