Tuesday | 21 Apr 2015

Ogier closes on WRC records in Argentina

FIA World Rally Championship leader Sébastien Ogier will start this week’s fourth round, Rally Argentina (23 - 26 April), with the chance to add three new records to his career tally.

Having won the last five WRC events, the Frenchman can equal Sébastien Loeb’s 2005 and 2008 records of six consecutive wins. If he succeeds, France would also topple Finland as the nation with the most rally wins and Ogier would complete his WRC trophy collection. Currently Argentina is the only round in the calendar he has yet to win.

Talking after the six-week break since the last round in Mexico, Ogier insisted he would not let the let the possibilities distract him from his primary goal.

“It’s nice to be in the situation where we’ve won the five last rallies, but I will not start Argentina with the target of this record in mind.” he told wrc.com.

“It’s most important for me to think about the championship. The record is like the cherry on the cake. If it happens it will be great and I will like it, but I don’t feel pressure to go after it.”

In the national battle, Ogier was quick to acknowledge the contribution made by Loeb in pulling France level with Finland on 172 victories.

“Finland has been dominant in this sport right from the start, but for the last 11 years another Seb did an amazing job to catch us up,” he said. “For the last three years I also did some strong results and now we are becoming equal. Let’s say I will be proud and happy if I manage to take the lead for France but whatever happens I think this battle will go for a long time.”

Ogier (pictured alongside celebrating his fifth consecutive victory in Mexico) has tackled Rally Argentina five times, and has finished second twice, most recently last year, when tyre damage dropped him behind Volkswagen Motorsport team-mate Latvala.

“It would be nice to add this one - the only one that is missing - but I know the challenge will be high,” he said. “But I’m not worried about this. I think it’s more to do with misfortune than anything else. I’m no less of a man here than on other events - just for some reason it’s not happened so far.”

Based in Villa Carlos Paz, close to the city of Cordoba, the rally gets underway on Thursday 23 April.

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