Five thousand, five hundred and ninety-two miles. That’s the distance from Leon to Villa Carlos Paz. Frankly, I could have walked it in the six weeks it’s taken the World Rally Championship to go from central to southern America.
No matter. It’s worth the wait.
Welcome to the most watched round of the world championship. Cows are being sized up, knives sharpened, the parrillas sparked up and deliciously deep red Malbec uncorked.
It’s Argentina.
Which means we’re in for a treat; a million-plus roadside fans can’t be wrong.
One man more than most has been waiting for this moment. Sebastien Ogier. This is the missing one for him. He’s won everything else, twice on a lot of events. Four times in Portugal.
But Argentina? Nada. Niente. Nothing.
On the basis of his current form, Ogier must start as favourite. He hasn’t lost a rally since October and Alsace last year and he dominated against the odds last time out in Mexico. Patches don’t come much more deep purple than this one.
The flip side of Seb’s mass success is running first on the road. That shouldn’t be anything like the handicap it was in Mexico and, if the clouds hit the heights of the Andes at the right time and the right temperature, then it will rain. And Ogier will then find himself firmly in the box-seat.
Ogier explains the challenge in the week ahead. He says: “Compared to Mexico, the surface at the Rally Argentina is not as aggressive on the tyres and the temperatures are far lower. We would usually all use the softer compounds. We are unlikely to see any tactical games like we did in Mexico, when we opted for a crossover of hard and soft tyres.
“I would like to stand on the very top step of the podium there for the first time. The atmosphere is excellent. The South Americans love their motorsport. It is the only rally, at which you can actually smell the fans’ barbecues in the cockpit when you are out on the special stages.”
Purple patch or not, Ogier’s not discounting what he sees as an increasing threat from around the service park.
“We have seen,” he says, “at recent rallies that the opposition at Hyundai and Citroen are closing in and battling for victory with us.”
But the biggest fight will come from last year’s winner in Carlos Paz, Latvala.
The Finn’s challenge has fallen away in the last two rallies, but a fortnight in America allied to watching Colin McRae in action has got him right back on track.
Latvala says: “I am really looking forward to the Rally Argentina. It is a gravel rally, but very different to the Rally Mexico. The surface in Argentina is far sandier, not as hard, and there is far more grip. Miikka [Anttila, co-driver] and I won here last year. We’ll have to wait and see whether we can repeat that feat – Sebastien Ogier is very strong at the moment.
“I have had a bit of time to relax and switch off since the Rally Mexico. I spent two weeks in the USA, where my girlfriend and I took a road trip through California and Nevada. I also had cause to celebrate: I reached the big ‘three-oh’, so we threw a small party. Small, because we had a fitness test in Lapland afterwards, in order to ensure we are as well prepared as possible for the Rally Argentina.”
Maybe the fitness test should have been walking from round three to round four.
Completing such a hike in six weeks would involve a 133-mile stroll every day. Theoretically possible, but practically ridiculous for any one of MAXRALLY’s pie-loving, exercise-shy staff.
Published by: Maxrally