WHEN YOU HAS IT, YOU HAS IT, they say.
I often find it amusing when I listen to some of the “specialists” talk about drivers.
Who is best and who will beat anything on wheels. Normally there is a “old” before the name of the world champ to be that never was.
Normally these wise opinions are based only on the results achieved in local rallies.
Well, what the hell else do you need to see, to know who is best, you may ask, with head slightly skew and eyebrows touching high up on your forehead?
Let me tell you something for free.
If we had anything like musical chairs in rallying in our own dry and stuffed up country, the results from as early as the 60’s would have been quite different – a few names spring to mind when I imagine them behind the wheels of certain Ford Escorts, then the mighty Audi Quattros, the turbo charged four wheel drive variety and then even the current S2000 money-circus, would have been different if talent was the only norm applied, for you to get a drive.
Unfortunately – in a way, motorsport and I suppose most other forms of money-driven things are a bit like rugby. The other side scores against you and then you have to kick the ball back to them so they can run it at you some more.
Money does truly buy the whiskey and talent often gets the cheap wine – except when you participate in a sport where all depends on only the athlete’s ability. (Boom! up crops the problem of getting off from work, travelling, money to pay for travel and accommodation and voila – there we go – back where we started.
Then you get a real driver – someone who really understands the art of driving. Someone who understands where the limits of anything on wheels (four in this case) lies and can apply it correctly, precisely and all the time.
Sebastien Loëb’s incredible rise to the top of the rally pile is old hat, as is his skills he revealed when he proved that he could keep up with almost anyone on the racing track, always handling wins with respect and using losses to improve on what he had to offer.
But ……
What about the Dakar?
When he browsed around the bivouacs last year, looking here and peeking there, the talks started that he may try to do this – the hardest race of them all! The race of races!
How would he shape?
I started thinking about it as well.
How he would shape on the “normal rally” sections of the rally was never a question. If the Peugeot was in any way competitive, he would outrun any of the drivers entered in the Dakar.
We knew Peugeot would not come to a gunfight with a knife.
The sand dunes however – that was a different story.
Even I had my doubts that Loëb would be able to keep up with the King(s) and the princes of the dunes.
My experience of these things ware limited to a night-ride in a Landcruiser with a cowboy behind the steering wheel in Dubai.
I will never forget that I did my best to predict what lay behind every dune we approached and goodness knows, with me behind the steering wheel, we would have rolled down two or three slopes in the first kilometer.
This means that what I have to work with are paper facts.
When it comes to Dakar driving, Peterhansel, Al-Attiyah, de Villiers, Roma and one or two more were in a class of their own, that was clear, but thinking back, Sainz did not look like a beginner compared to them from the first event he participated in.
So some exceptional talent, serious training before the event – something Loëb could afford – and a good driver had a chance to at least stay in touch.
Early on and then again later Sainz did crash out of an event or two. He is usually his own enemy when he has to catch up, but when he gets away with it, very few drivers will even now catch him. He makes mistakes because in my opinion he goes in hunting elephants with a pellet gun, putting a foot where that foot did not belong, not even his Sainzly foot.
In honesty I admit that I doubted if Loëb would be able to stay with the masters on sand.
Yesterday he did not manage to stay with them when the rally hit first of the sand sections, simply because he was not willing to sit around waiting for the rest to catch up.
He got into the Peugeot and drove the proverbial shart out of everyone around him.
The signs are there – a Dakar rookie is going to win the event for the first time ever (except the first ever Dakar of course)
The rain is helping because nothing except Ogier, Latvala and Meeke all of WRC fame can stay with him when conditions get this tough.
The rally is still only on verse two of at least ten the Fat Lady will sing in the end, if you do not count the easier stages and lots and lots can and will still happen – but fact is, so far Sebastien Loëb is making a mockery of Dakar Experience.
If all goes as is, Leeroy Poulter will do very well on this event, while your money for a good finish from Giniel is safe. The Toyotas will suffer again today due to the altitude of 3500 to 4200m most of the 542km the special section will follow..
Any top six finish for petrol driven non-turbo vehicles will be exceptional today, let alone just good.
If Leeroy keeps up the pace he managed yesterday, again on this longest stage of the event today, around the salt pans near Uyuni, – he will be paving his way to finish in or very near the top three next Saturday.
Al-Attiyah will have to give it his all, which puts him at risk – as he predicted that the Mini’s would stay with the Peugeots and now the proof lies in the Dakar pudding! I think …….
All eyes will unfortunately for everyone else, be on Loëb – who may just redefine the legend of the Dakar!
Will Peugeot/Citroen allow him to slip away to drive a WRC Toyota after a win on the Dakar in a Peugeot?
I don’t think so, but then I have been wrong in life once or twice before. (the second time was not very wrong)
Enjoy the race of races, where the men gets sorted from the Loëbs – and watch Sainz trying to catch him to prove that he is still King Carlos! The picture of Sebastien says it all.
Leon Botha