WRC: The One

"Menebrio" (menebrio) 10/01/2013 at 11:00 • Filed to: WRC, RACING, Sebastien Loeb, Sebastien Ogier

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The rivalry is with ourself. I try to be better than is possible. I fight against myself, not against the other. -Luciano Pavarotti-

Whether its a one man show or a team effort, the competitive nature and spirit always comes through in sports. In motor racing it has been said that your first rival or opponent is always your Teammate. Given this, some intra-team battles are just a ticking time bomb and at times the explosive outcomes of such can last even when both parties are dissolved into different teams.

In recent times we've seen it in F1, with Alonso/Hamilton at Mclaren in 2007 or the Webber/Vettel saga; MotoGP with Rossi/Lorenzo or Hayden/Pedrosa; and we've seen it with Loeb/Ogier in WRC, a battle which we'll get to witness one last time.

Sebastien Loeb's WRC reign came to an end when he clinched his 9th consecutive title. But it is his 8th title, which is better remembered after a season where he was pushed to the brink of his ability by his new teammate Sebastien Ogier . Both drivers not only shared the same first name, but the talent as well. Things exploded when Ogier was given the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! order when he clearly could have pushed for a win at ADAC Rallye Deutschland (Loeb later suffered a punctured). This set events in motion which resulted in Ogier leaving Citroen when he decided to join VW and their Polo development program in hopes that he would receive not only the car to push for his title in 2013 (2012 was a testing year for VW), but a better driver status. Unfortunately after 2012 Loeb quit the sport and so the rivalry died off.

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Except that in 2013, Loeb was entered in four rallies, a final goodbye to the sport (and possibly a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ). And it has been at these four events were tensions have resurfaced. A mini-championship as Ogier once called it, a final chance were we get to see the Ace of Aces in an all out battle against the up and coming talent and its last chance to measure himself against !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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With Loeb having won at Monte Carlo & Argentina and Ogier taking Victory at Sweden both drivers move to their home soil at Rallye de France-Alsace (Oct 3-6). To top it off, Ogier can clinch his first title here, a situation which could end with the sweetest of victory tastes if he finishes ahead of Loeb, or a title that could very well become a sour-sweet memory if Loeb finishes ahead of him at his potential crowning.

"The only point which would make a bad situation for me, of course, [is] if Seb Loeb wins the rally and I got trouble or something.

"Then it will be a bit of a shadow on my championship against his victory again and I think I don't deserve that."

This is a battle that should definitely be followed and one that could certainly be the talking point if Ogier ever matches or beats Loebs record for the title of "The One."

Dusty Ventures > Menebrio 10/01/2013 at 14:17

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Great write up. You need to be part of the Oppositelock Fantasy WRC league.

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