NEWS: Loeb Set To Attack RallycrossRX

Sebastian Loeb is having an amazing year of motorsport! Having just won the Rally Argentina in his Citroen DS3 WRC (stopping the VW Polo R WRC's run of wins) and fresh from bouts of McLaren  MP4-12C GT racing, super Seb is all set to race RallycrossRX in Loheac in the FIA European Rallycross Championship for the first time, on August 31-September 1 on home soil. Watch out rallycross regulars!  

Loeb will drive a Citroen DS3 Supercar in the event which forms round seven of the nine-event championship. The 39-year-old, nine-time World Rally Champion has added the RallycrossRX outing to his calendar in a year in which he has embarked on a diverse range of events including rounds of the World Rally Championship, the FIA GT Championship and Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
The Frenchman has previously driven a rallycross car in competition only once; using a Citroen DS3 Supercar to win an X Games gold medal in Los Angeles last July.
"2013 is definitely a year full of challenges. I received an invitation from the [Rallycross Loheac] organiser Patrick Germain, and I decided to answer positively," said Loeb. "Apart from the X Games, I have no experience in Rallycross so I will probably have to fight hard against fast specialists in a very high level championship.
"I enjoyed my experience at the X Games last year and I expect something similar. Loheac is the temple of Rallycross. This is a well-known event with always a very big crowd. In a sportive side, this is also a very tough race.
"I couldn’t let this opportunity to participate at least once in my career pass, especially because it is with a Citroën DS3. I am looking forward to go to Loheac, meet the fans and race there."
Rallycross Loheac, 30km south of Rennes in Brittany, is widely accepted as being the best attended rallycross event in world. Regularly attracting more than 30,000 spectators it has been a cornerstone of the French championship for many years and, this year, is included in the FIA European Rallycross Championship for the first time since 2001.

Bon chance Seb! Sure the 600bhp gravel experience will help get you more used to the 850bhp Pug you'll be blasting up Pike Peak's tarmac, gravel and sand later in the year!

RallycrossRX is the FIA European Rallycross Championship, promoted since 2013, by IMG Motorsports, part of IMG Worldwide. Rallycross combines all the best aspects of motor racing in one. It's fast, competitive and spectacular. It's bold, authentic and relatable. Within it are all the elements of four-wheel racing that you love; and RallycrossRX is the pinnacle.
Visit the official website: www.rallycrossrx.com
Be a part of #RX:
Twitter: @RallycrossRX, | Facebook.com/RallycrossRX | YouTube.com/RallycrossRXTV

VIDEO: WRC Monte Carlo 2013 Round-up

What a Monte Carlo Rallye – four days, 16 ace special stages and 425.93Km of drama in classic, tricky Winter alpine conditions! And what an incredible start to the 2013 season – mainly thanks to the injection of excitement the arrival of VW Motorsport and Sebastian Ogier/Jari-Matti Latvala gave in the new VW Polo R WRC. It not only looked amazing, but did the business – setting out its stall with an incredible (Ogier) win on SS1 (in VW's first ever WRC event!), and staking claim to an amazing second place, with Ogier driving the doors off the new car, to come in behind the amazing Sebastian Loeb, taking his unreal 77th WRC victory and 7th Monte Carlo Rallye win, by 1m39s in his Citroen Total Abu Dhabi DS3. And Dani Sordo in his Citroen DS3 WRC was third. Incredible! Roll on the rest of 2013 and the WRC. 

After a great Sebastian fight for first on day one and two, the final day was loaded with drama too, ending up with two stage cancellations – after three of the top seven – Evgeny Novikov, Jari-Matti Latvala and Juho Hanninen – crashed out in very slippery, icy conditions on the legendary Col de Turini. And you can see Jari-Matti Latvala's spectacular shunt in the video above. Ouch!
The cool, calm, collected and uber-talented Loeb said to WRC: "I’m always happy when I win, and Monte-Carlo is one of the most exciting rallies I’ve done. This one was really, really difficult. The conditions were extreme compared to what we have usually and winning wasn’t easy."
And the amazing Sebastian Ogier said to WRC: "I’m so happy, it’s like a victory for me. I’m a competitor and I’ve never been happy to finish second but this weekend it was really the target, and to start the season like this is amazing. I’ve been waiting for one year, I’ve done so many tests and it was frustrating sometimes, and now here we are with the Polo on the pace already."
Bring on Rally Sweden, the only true snow event of the WRC year, February 7-10th. We only wish Loeb was up for the whole year, not just four events – giving him the chance of 10 WRC crowns. But, I guess he's already proved he is the best rally driver of all time... awesome. 

VIDEO: Volkswagen Polo R WRC All Set For Rallye Monte Carlo WRC Debut

Finally, after years of development, months, 20,000 miles and 100 days of testing by the VW Motorsport team and dream team drivers, Jari-Matti Latvala and Sébastien Ogier (with seven WRC wins in total), the wait is almost over – the epic, historic Rallye Monte Carlo starts at 9am on Wednesday 16th January on the 45.27Km's of SS01, Le Moulinon. And we can not wait.  

Here's some footage of the car being tested in classic damp, cold, icy, snowy Monte conditions late last year, and it's looking good we reckon. Very good. Sure, both car and team have a lot to do and learn to catch up/keep up with the likes of Citroen and Ford, but we reckon the Dakar-victorious VW Motorsport team are set to make waves with their brand new Polo R WRC. Watch this space!
This epic rally will mark Volkswagen’s first ever season in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) – in a brand new car with some 1,700 parts designed completely from scratch and 17 months of preparations, making its competitive debut. VW say: "The appearance of the Polo R WRC in the FIA World Rally Championship heralds a new era in motorsport for Volkswagen – and where better to make your debut than the legendary Rally Monte Carlo?"
"I cannot wait to finally getting going. The entire team at Volkswagen is looking forward to the WRC debut of the Polo WRC," says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. "World Championship rallies in the top WRC class are new territory for the team. Furthermore, the Polo R WRC has been developed from scratch, features a lot of innovativeideas, and will be making its competitive debut. The ‘Monte’ will give us our first indication of how we compare with the opposition – our rivals already have two years’ experience of the regulations that came into force in 2011, and have been driving in the WRC for many years. Our goal for the Rally Monte Carlo is to gain as much experience as possible and to finish with both cars."
Jari-Matti Latvala, Polo R WRC #7 driver said: "I can hardly wait for the season to get started. I may already have five years as a works driver in the World Rally Championship under my belt, but both the Volkswagen Motorsport team and the Polo R WRC are new to me. As such, I will be making my debut in two regards. The tests up to now have shown that the Polo R WRC is very reliable. This is probably the most important finding so far – and a good basis for future technical developments over the course of the season. I have already developed a good feeling for the car on asphalt and snow, which is a good sign ahead of the Rally Monte Carlo. It is greatfun driving the Polo R WRC. It is very stable and the driveability of the engine is also very good. I would like to get the season off to a good start at the ‘Monte’. The result is not the top priority yet, although I would obviously love to pick up some World Championship points."
Sébastien Ogier, Polo R WRC #8 driver, adds: "The ‘Monte’ is a very special rally. After all, it is my home rally. However, the season- opener near my home will be an extraordinary experience for the entire team, as it is the first rally with the new Polo R WRC. We have been working towards this moment with Volkswagen for over a year. We can hardly wait to finally get started. However, it is difficult to judge how we will compare to the opposition, as we have not yet raced against the other teams under competitive conditions. Making your debut in a world championship with a completely new car is a big challenge, particularly as the other manufacturers have several years more experience than we do. For this reason we must be patient and concentrate at first on reaching the finish without any problems. Experience shows that this is anything but simple at the Rally Monte Carlo, as anything can happen at this event."
Can VW Motorsport – responsible for wins on the epic Rally Dakar in 2009, 2010 and 2011 with the Race Touareg – make the Polo R WRC a winner from Wolfsburg?

Only time will tell. But we are really chuffed to see VW back in rallying and committed to WRC for the forseeable. It's great for the sport and sure to be good for the brand. We are hoping for a load of hot WRC-style road car spin-off specials to light up their range.
The Volkswagen Polo R WRC will compete in nine WRC rounds: Monte Carlo/France, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Finland, Greece, France and Mexico. So, best of luck to all the VW Motorsport team in the Monte. Hear how they get on here and on their Facebook page.

Three questions for ... Jost Capito
1. If you could have chosen a rally for the Polo R WRC to make its debut at – would you have taken the Rally Monte Carlo?
"The Rally Monte Carlo is not only the most iconic rally on the World Championship calendar, but also the most difficult and complex. The surface alternates regularly between ice, snow, rain and dry asphalt, which can make the strategy difficult and tyre selection something of a lottery. We are obviously delighted that the Polo R WRC will make its debut at this highlight."

2. In Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala you have signed two very quick drivers. Who do you feel is the stronger?
"They are both equally strong. As a Scandinavian, Latvala grew up on gravel – however, he has made huge progress on asphalt in recent years. The same applies to Ogier, who also has what it takes to win on any surface. Both have seven WRC wins to their name. In the end it will come down to who performs best on the day to determine who is the quickest."

What goals does Volkswagen have for the 2013 season?
"We are aware that we will be up against strong opposition with decades of World Rally Championship experience. The Polo R WRC, on the other hand, is making its debut this year and the team also has a new look to it. As such, we have to set realistic goals. We want to make it onto the podium under our own steam in the second half of the year."

VIDEO: 2013 Polo R WRC Jari-Matti Latvala

Only a couple more days until we shut the Road office down for the year, and what better way to celebrate the Winter wonderland than looking to one of next years sure-to-be-star-cars, the VW Polo R WRC. VW back in world rallying. Great! And here's Jari-Matti Latvala showing off what it's capable of in the snow. How good does it look? How good is it going here? And better still, how good does that wastegate chatter sound? Awesome. Bring on WRC 2013.

VIDEO: Petter Solberg Quits WRC: Highlight Video.

So, Petter Solberg – legendary, smily, Norwegian WRC ace – is to quit the sport, for now! Sad news. But we can't wait to see what he ends up driving in 2013. We say... give the Nurburging 24-Hour a go, like Carlos Sainz has done since he retired Petter. You will love it! Or maybe some historic rallying? And we hope to see you back in a WRC car soon too.
Here's what Petter had to say about his retirement from WRC: "First off, I want to say thank you. You can't imagine the feeling I get seeing and reading all of your messages and support, both here and via multiple outlets around the web. Honestly I'm always so amazed by it. Especially now, it feels great.
The decision to withdraw from the WRC for 2013 after all of these years was not an easy one. The reality is that no matter how much we were hoping that there was a proper seat for us, it was made very apparent that there was not. At this point in my career, I had to make the call. I had to step away for now, and make a change. The main thing that I want you all to realize, is that my statements and actions should by no means be viewed as me retiring. This is my life, and I'm definitely ready and prepared for more time behind a wheel, and more success. With all of this being said, I also wanted to confirm that we are working on some very exciting plans for 2013, and I look forward to sharing that with you as soon as we're able. It's going to be a fun and competitive time for all of us. I promise you that! Thank you again. Never Give Up!"

Best of luck "Hollywood" – you're a superstar and we'll be keeping our readers abreast of your activities in 2013 whatever you do. Have a great Christmas dude! 

Meantime, to remind you all what a star Petter is, here's a highlight video to enjoy his WRC skills again... 

NEWS: Petter Solberg 2013 Plans

We've just heard what Petter Solberg has to say about his plans for 2013... which may involve him being behind the wheel of a race car! Like to see that! He said: "There seems to be a lot of talk about me retiring via pieces of quotes being compressed in to numerous articles around the web. I wish things moved more quickly, but they do not. Of course my full interest is to be in the WRC and the works seat at M-Sport, but these things take time. We're attempting to figure things out from both sides. IF for some reason nothing happens with this, then I do have other plans, and those plans will have me competing behind the wheel of a race car. Thank you for your concern, and I will keep you updated. I will never stop competing within Motorsports. That's a combination of my passion, and your support!" Good luck for the year, whatever you end up doing Petter. We love ya man! You're a modern legend of rallying. Stay up to date with Petter on his Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/PetterSolbergWRC

VIDEO: Neil Cole's 'The Grid' Motorsport Show, Episode V

Our man Neil Cole (Road Magazine columnist, see at http://www.issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine) on his fabulous new motorsport show on Sports Tonight Live, The Grid. This week's episode is an hour long, discussing the start of the F1 season, with Kevin Shepherd, Tancredi Palmeri and Tom Webb of the Caterham F1 Team from Malaysia with news of sweaty pit garages and new updates for the team for Sepang. Also, the fabulous Becca Williams rounds up IRC and WRC, while Ben Constanduros reviews Sebring and the Endurance season. The relaxed, well informed, bang up to date show is growing nicely and, if you have not seen it yet... do so, and follow them on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/#!/STL_TheGrid

VIDEO: Neil Cole's The Grid Episode III

Our Road Magazine columnist, Neil Cole (www.neilcole.org) is the anchorman for the all-new motorsport show, The Grid on Sports Tonight Live. Here is episode three of the relaxed, informed, fun look at the world of motorsport, with all the latest news, video and comment. This week's episode involves Neil and Kevin Shepherd looking at Ferrari and Fernando Alonso's season hopes, WTCC, WRC and Luther Blissett's motorsport team, Team 48, and more. Check it out! And do like their new Facebook page too at http://www.facebook.com/STLTheGrid. Finally, if you've not read Neil's Road Magazine 'Cole Position' columns yet... DO IT! They are amazing: http://www.issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine, issue's 22, 23 & 24.