Double Trouble: Two Wins For Sebastien Ogier & VW

Another year and another two wins for Sebastien Ogier and Volkswagen, although not as straightforward as it seemed.

Things are getting all too familiar in the FIA World Rally Championship at the moment. It seems there is just no toppling two-time defending WRC champion Sebastien Ogier and his Volkswagen Polo WRC car from the top step of the podium any time soon. That too despite the best efforts of circumstance and his own teammates.

Last year, Jari-Matti Latvala took a valiant stab at besting the Frenchman while this year Andreas Mikkelsen is mathematically in with the best chance after taking two third place finishes in the opening two rounds at Rally Monte Carlo and Sweden. Tecnhnically Hyundai’s consistently fast Belgian Thierry Neuville is tied with Mikkelsen on points but ahead due to taking a lucky second place in Sweden. But wishful thinking and circumstance is realistically the only thing that can stop a Volkswagen Motorsport 1-2-3 in rallies in 2015.

Well, that or Sebastien Loeb agreeing to compete in a full WRC season again, just for old time’s sake. The fantastic Frenchman made many sit up and take notice as he went fastest of all the WRC drivers on the opening stage of the Monte Carlo Rally.

Mind you, this was coming from someone who had last competed in WRC in 2013, and that too in only four rounds. Losing control of his Citroen DS3 and hitting a rock midway through the second day of the rally ended his challenge and lead to a VW 1-2-3.

Regardless, it was a great teaser for what the WRC could be. A terrific battle between Ogier and Loeb. The former left Citroen after being upset with team orders that instructed him to help Loeb instead of going for glory on his own. The two of them leading factory squads in the race for WRC glory could be just what the sport needs right now. After all, even Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have finally agreed to fight each other this year!

But as things stand, we will likely just have to follow the same two storylines from last year’s WRC season. Which VW teammate will bother Ogier and who will be the fourth best driver come the final event of the year.

Although this is not necessarily a bad thing considering the manner in which Ogier took his second win out of the opening two rallies of the year. A spin by Mikkelsen on the final stage of Rally Sweden was all that separated the two. Fingers crossed for more.