Rally Sweden: Loeb says Ogier is out of reach already
Nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb says his countryman and Rally Sweden rival Sebastien Ogier is impossible to catch
Volkswagen driver Ogier has enjoyed the perfect day from the perfect position on the road to establish a 31.4-second lead over his former team-mate and Citroen star Loeb.
Ogier has been fastest in all-but one of today's forest stages run around the town of Hagfors. Loeb's fellow DS3 WRC driver Mikko Hirvonen was quickest in the dash around the Karlstad superspecial on Friday evening.
Talking about his chances of catching Ogier for the rest of the event, Loeb said: "It's impossible to catch him now. It's going to be difficult enough to stay ahead of Jari-Matti [Latvala]."
Latvala, driving the sister Polo R WRC is just 1.7s adrift of Loeb in third place.
"Their car seems really good," added Loeb. "Where we have some understeer, they seem to have the car balanced ' which is really important on this rally."
Volkswagen Motorsport team principal Jost Capito said: "It's too early to talk about a result, but it is very nice to be leading the event and in third place tonight. What we have to remember, though, is that Sebastien [Ogier] was in the good place on the road and tomorrow, Loeb will be much closer."
Loeb will run directly in front of Ogier on Saturday's stages, which run to the east of Hagfors.
Rally Sweden: Sebastien Ogier in a class of his own
Rally Sweden: Sebastien Ogier holds Sebastien Loeb at bay
How Rovanpera tamed a wild Safari Rally
The Safari Rally acted as a brutal test of driver and car resolve as multiple retirements opened the path for a historic Toyota 1-2-3-4 triumph, headed by star Kalle Rovanpera. But keeping things clean was only half of the challenge, as a well-timed charge when conditions worsened allowed the Finn to take control
How Tanak turned the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph
The 2019 champion has been a bit-part player recently, but Ott Tanak ended a 15-month drought in fine style with a dominant win in Sardinia. On a weekend when championship leader Kalle Rovanpera struggled with cleaning the road, his Hyundai rival has made his belated arrival into the title race and given cause for those predicting a walkover from the Toyota star to pause
How Rovanpera overcame rallying royalty in Portugal to extend his WRC lead
Although the Rally Portugal entry list featured World Rally Championship royalty in Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier, victory was secured by rallying's rising star in Kalle Rovanpera. Here's the story of his 2022 hat-trick, as his key rivals faltered among the gravel and asphalt ahead of them
The former WRC star playing the unsung hero role for Rovanpera
Kalle Rovanpera’s 2022 World Rally Championship displays have been spectacular, with the Toyota driver benefitting from a secret weapon in his crew to win two of the opening three rallies. But while the former challenger to Sebastien Loeb won’t take credit for his fellow Finn's performances, a key bond has been formed which could prove key to Rovanpera’s title charge
How Rovanpera's Croatia turnaround sent a message to his WRC rivals
After a dominating Rally Croatia, a wrong tyre choice on the final day looked to have undone all Kalle Rovanpera's hard work and left him with a mountain to climb heading into the power stage. That he emerged the winner all the same has surely quelled any lingering doubts that the Finn is the man to beat in the 2022 WRC
How M-Sport's faith in Loubet led to a WRC reprieve after a dismal 2021
It's fair to say 2021 was a year to forget for Pierre-Louis Loubet. A maiden full World Rally Championship season offered hope but soon turned into a nightmare that ended in hospital, after being hit by a car in a road traffic accident. Now handed a lifeline by M-Sport, the Frenchman is desperate to rebuild his career
Why WRC mechanics deserve more respect
The drivers get the glare of attention, but it’s the mechanics who are key to the operation of any World Rally Championship car. Autosport donned a set of overalls and joined M-Sport on a Belgian national rally event to get an inside look into the trials and tribulations of a rally mechanic
The African McRae aiming to become a WRC pioneer
Taking his first step into the Junior World Rally Championship category, McRae Kimathi - named after 1995 world champion Colin - found himself in the unfamiliar climes of Sweden's snow and ice. Having impressed, Kimathi hopes to blaze a trail to the top level of WRC and help other African drivers to step onto the ladder