03 Oct 12

Ogier equal
Aigner
back on
WRC trail

Andreas Aigner, who returns to FIA World Rally Championship action for the first time since 2008 on Rallye de France Alsace this week, could have been a rival to Sebastien Ogier had he enjoyed the same breaks as the Frenchman.

That’s according to former WRC podium finisher and fellow Austrian Manfred Stohl, who was instrumental in getting Aigner’s international career back on track this season by entering him in a Subaru Impreza on rounds of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Aigner won the Production Car world crown in 2008, the same season Ogier captured the Junior world title in a Citroen. While a lack of funding has restricted Aigner to selected appearances - mainly in his homeland - since then, Ogier enjoyed three seasons with Citroen before he signed a long-term deal to join Volkswagen from this year.

“Andi is a big talent and if he had the same chances [as Ogier] then he could be on the same level as him now,” said Stohl.

With Stohl running Daniel Oliveira’s Brazil World Rally Team Ford Fiesta RS WRC in France this week, Aigner will make his debut for PROTON Motorsports in the Super 2000 World Rally Championship section of the asphalt event. He completed a test in a Satria-Neo in France last month.

“The first thing I felt at the test with the PROTON is that it is a rally car made for just this job,” said Aigner, who recently turned 28. “I drive a Group N car for a lot of years and coming to the Super 2000 car is a real difference - you feel it every time you go on the accelerator and the brake: it’s a great car to drive. I have been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time now. I haven’t been on this event before but I can’t wait to get started.”