Rally de España - (21-24 October 2010) – Day 3
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia are holding onto their second place in the World RallyChampionship at the end of the 12th event of the season, held in Spain. By finishing 10th inSalou, they will head into the final rally of the year in Great Britain with an 11-point advantageover their closest pursuers.
After finishing 14th at the end of day two of the Rally de España, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassiawere aiming to get back into the top 10 in order to consolidate their second position in the World RallyChampionship.
During the first run through El Priorat alone, the longest stage of the rally at 42.04 kilometres, theFrench crew made up three places to claim 11th overall.
“It’s obviously not the same type of rally for us since we went off yesterday,” explained Sébastien. “I’mtrying to find the motivation to continue to drive at a good pace. We just need to carry on now and gainmore experience for the future.”
Despite breaking a front-right damper top mount at the end of La Serra d’Almos (SS14), the twoFrenchmen continued their path towards the top 10. “It was a similar problem to the one we had on theRallye de France,” recounted Sébastien. “I touched a small rock in the middle of a cut just before the endof the stage. The top of the suspension gave way, but we were able to continue to service without anyproblems.”
At the end of 16 special stages Sébastien and Julien were 10th, scoring an additional WorldChampionship point. “We missed a good opportunity, but I don’t regret at all having tried to take thefight to Sébastien Loeb,” said the Citroën Junior Team driver. “I feel that I’m getting quicker and quickeron asphalt. Now I need to concentrate on the final round of the season in Great Britain in order to finishsecond in the World Rally Championship. That remains a realistic objective.”
Citroën Junior Team Manager Benoit Nogier concluded: “The raw result from Spain is not a positive onefor the Citroën Junior Team. But once again our Citroën C4 WRC was reliable and the team did a solidjob throughout the rally. These are the principal points to remember about this weekend. We had thechance to consolidate our position before heading to Great Britain, but we didn’t manage to. Now weneed to concentrate on the last rally of the year so that we finish the season well. Still, everything isrelative. The objective of seeing Sébastien Ogier take second in the drivers’ World Championship is onethat has created itself over the course of the season. It’s the result of a strong and consistent performancefrom our team throughout the year.”
The Citroën Junior Team is currently third in the World Rally Championship for manufacturers with 196points: 41 more than its nearest rival. Sébastien Ogier will start the final round of the year placed secondin the drivers’ standings, with 11 points over Jari-Matti Latvala and 16 points over Petter Solberg.
THE RALLY BY NUMBERSSébastien Ogier / Julien IngrassiaSS13: El Priorat 1 (42.04 km) 4th +8’’5 11th +17’26’’5SS14: La Serra d’Almos 1 (4.11 km) 6th +4’’3 11th +17’27’’9SS15: El Priorat 2 (42.04 km) 3rd +8’’9 10th +17’24’’9SS16: La Serra d’Almos 2 (4.11 km) 6th +4’’3 10th +17’24’’1
Fastest stage timesDay 1 – SS1: Sébastien Loeb (Citroën C4) – SS2: Petter Solberg (Citroën C4) – SS3: Loeb – SS4:Sébastien Ogier (Citroën C4) – SS5: Solberg – SS6: Loeb.Day 2 – SS7 to SS9: Loeb – SS10: Dani Sordo (Citroën C4) – SS11: Loeb – SS12: Solberg.Day 3 – SS13 to SS15: Sordo – SS16: Solberg.Best performers: Loeb, 7 fastest times – Solberg and Sordo, 4 each – Ogier, 1.Leaders: SS1 to SS16: Loeb.
Final provisional classification:1. Loeb / Elena Citroën C4 3h32’59’’72. P. Solberg / Patterson Citroën C4 +35’’33. Sordo / Vallejo Citroën C4 +41’’14. Latvala / Anttila Ford Focus +1’19’’55. Hirvonen / Lehtinen Ford Focus +6’32’’96. Wilson / Martin Ford Focus +8’17’’67. Al Qassimi / Orr Ford Focus +13’05’’78. H. Solberg / Prevot Ford Fiesta +13’11’’29. Block / Gelsomino Ford Focus +16’01’’210. Ogier / Ingrassia Citroën C4 +17’24’’1
