On the loose

In a way, Philippe Bugalski's charge into the lead was a better indicator of what the Xsara WRC is capable of.

But for long-term gain, you'd have to say that the top showing in a Citroen came not in the Xsara, but a humble Saxo. For Catalunya was the opening round of the inaugural FIA Super 1600 championship, and Saxo-mounted Sebastien Loeb claimed the honours.

The Super 1600 series is the latest bright idea to get young talent noticed by team managers, and gain experience of the world championship stages at the same time. Four manufacturers - Citroen, Ford, Fiat and Peugeot - have built cars to the new rules, which are cost-controlled in an attempt to create as level a playing field as is possible these days.

The series began with a packed launch in the heart of Lloret de Mar's main shopping street, and the amount of enthusiasm shown by the locals - and the world's media - was encouraging. Since many of the new cars have their origins in the old 'kit car' formula, they look fast when they're standing still. Combine that sort of appeal with 1600cc engines screaming to unthinkable rev limits and a 22-strong entry field with 17 of the drivers under the age of 27 and you've got a recipe for success.

And so it proved. Loeb started as a slight pre-event favourite, because the Saxo is a relatively proven product (unlike, for example, the Peugeot 206 S1600) and the young Frenchman has shown potential on World and French championship events before. As such, his eventual victory perhaps wasn't that great a surprise.

But the manner in which he had to fight for it certainly was. All four manufacturers scored fastest times and all enjoyed the class lead at some point during the rally, as Loeb scrapped with Cedric Robert, Francois Duval and then Sergio Vallejo before moving into a commanding lead at the start of the final day.

In truth, Loeb is already guaranteed some sort of future within the world championship. He's the preferred 'young gun' of Citroen boss Guy Frequelin; hence my belief that his success was notable in the longer term. It would shock no-one if this guy replaces either Philippe Bugalski, Jesus Puras or Thomas Radstrom as a regular Xsara WRC driver, perhaps even in time for next season.

It's hard not to suggest that Loeb's success will be the start of a successful championship campaign. He's that accomplished a pilot already, and he's less susceptible to the errors that hampered many of his rivals in Spain. But if I was a team manager, I'd already be looking behind him. Rallying badly needs a few 'young chargers' to take the place of established names in the near future. And in Super 1600, there are at least 22 in the making.