Five in a row for Ogier / Cinq à la suite pour Ogier

Sébastien Ogier kicked off his 2014 campaign as he ended 2013, and Saturday’s victory in Monte Carlo makes him clear favourite for this year’s title. The Frenchman has gone unbeaten since his victory in Australia last September.

Sébastien Ogier a entamé 2014 comme il avait conclu 2013 et cette première victoire au Monte-Carlo version WRC le place d’ores et déjà en favori à sa propre succession. Le Français n’a plus été battu depuis le Rallye d’Australie 2013, soit 126 jours d’invincibilité.

Sébastien Ogier has taken his current winning sequence to five WRC rounds (Australia, France, Spain, Great Britain and Monte Carlo) and now has a chance of equalling Sébastien Loeb’s record* next month in Sweden.

Yet the beginning of the 2014 Monte could have been catastrophic for the defending champion who, like his two VW team-mates, made a poor tyre call for the first loop of stages. His aggressive choice (five ‘super softs’) was far from ideal for the snow that had started to fall after the ice-note crews had been through, and the Frenchman’s run could easily have ended when his Polo swiped a wall through the first corner…

He survived the ordeal, however, and went on to show true class, including a fastest time on SS6 (Col du Perty 2) that sent a clear message to his only real threat, Bryan Bouffier.

Ogier ultimately clawed back his early deficit of 1m19.4s to claim victory by practically the same margin (1m18.9s). A fastest time on SS8 briefly boosted Bouffier’s hopes but they then disappeared with a spin on the following test…

So, who was the revelation of the 2014 Rallye Monte-Carlo? Bouffier? ‘Revelation’ probably isn’t the appropriate term in his case, especially for someone who has previously won the Monte Carlo and the Tour de Corse. We would suggest that Bryan was simply in brilliant form once again.

Kris Meeke can hardly be considered a revelation, either, although the Ulsterman did score his first WRC podium which boosted the moral of the men at Citroën. He and some of the British media were moved to tears at the finish.

Elfyn Evans? Perhaps. The Welshman missed out on his first fastest time by half-a-second on SS3 and a cautious run made sure he didn’t make any mistakes.

Robert Kubica? For sure! His early showing was certainly a revelation when he dominated the rally’s first two stages despite having made the same tyre-choice error as many of his rivals. He then settled into a slightly more sedate pace which enabled him to challenge for the podium until an ‘off’ on SS9.

Jaroslav Melicharek? Without doubt. The unknown Slovakian succeeded in blocking three fellow competitors on the second attempt at the Col du Turini which had to be cancelled!

Sébastien Chardonnet? Why not? Especially given that the reigning WRC-3 champion posted two third-fastest times in his diminutive Citroën DS3 R3!

* Loeb took six WRC wins in a row twice: in 2008/2009 and in 2005 (record).

Australie, France, Espagne, Grande-Bretagne et Monte-Carlo : Sébastien Ogier vient d’enchaîner cinq victoires consécutives en WRC et pourrait égaler le record de Sébastien Loeb* au prochain Rallye de Suède.

Le retour du Monte-Carlo dans les Hautes-Alpes aurait pu faire chuter le champion haut-alpin, auteur - comme ses deux équipiers chez VW !? -, d’un mauvais choix de pneus pour les premières spéciales. Un choix très agressif (cinq super-soft) qui s’est avéré inadapté puisque la neige est tombée après le passage des ouvreurs. Son rallye aurait même pu s’arrêter dans le tout premier virage…

Mais le champion du monde a survécu à cette première boucle avant de passer à l’attaque. Son meilleur temps dans le col du Perty (ES6) n’a laissé guère d’illusions à son seul véritable adversaire du week-end, Bryan Bouffier. Ogier a remonté 1min19s4 de passif pour gagner avec la même avance (1min18s9). Requinqué par un meilleur temps dans l’ES8, Bouffier y a pourtant cru, mais ses derniers espoirs se sont évanouis dans l’ES9. Son tête-à-queue n’explique pas tout car Ogier lui aurait sans doute repris une vingtaine de secondes à la régulière.

En y regardant de plus près, on a bien du mal à trouver la révélation de ce Rallye Monte-Carlo 2014. Bryan Bouffier ? C’est plutôt une confirmation, quand on a déjà accroché Monte-Carlo et Tour de Corse à son palmarès… Bryan a été une fois de plus brillant ce week-end.

Kris Meeke ? Là aussi, une confirmation. L’Irlandais du Nord a signé son premier podium WRC et boosté le moral des troupes Citroën pour 2014. Emus, le pilote britannique et ses compatriotes journalistes en avaient les larmes aux yeux à l’arrivée. Elfyn Evans ? Peut-être. Le Gallois a manqué son 1^er temps scratch mondial pour 5/10^e (ES3), mais il a appris sagement sans faire de fautes.

Robert Kubica ? Sans doute. Le Polonais a remporté les deux premières spéciales du rallye alors que lui non pplus n’avait pas le bon choix de pneus. Chapeau. Il est ensuite rentré dans le rang, mais se battait pour le podium avant une « petite » sortie de route (ES9). Jaroslav Melicharek ? Sans aucun doute. Ce Slovaque quasi inconnu a réussi à bloquer trois concurrents et faire neutraliser le second passage d’un « Turini » enneigé ! Sébastien Chardonnet ? Pourquoi pas… Le champion du monde WRC-3 a signé deux 4^e meilleurs temps au volant de sa Citroën DS3 R3 « maxi ».

* Loeb a enchaîné deux fois 6 victoires d’affilée : en 2008/2009 et sur la seule saison 2005 (record absolu)

Million-makers: The big-money stars of the Scottsdale sales

The Scottsdale auction week promises a slew of million-dollar cars, but which are the undisputed blue-chip stars from Bonhams, Gooding and RM? We take a look at the three candidates with the highest price expectations…

Gooding & Company: 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail (Lot 137)

In visual terms, the McLaren F1 GTR Longtail is perhaps the most dramatically memorable racing machine of the last 20 years. But this particular car – chassis 21R – has its own history of racing success, too, and is claimed to be the most successful BMW factory car currently in private ownership. It was the first Longtail to post a victory, winning at Hockenheim and Helsinki, and also took four podiums in five FIA GT races with a main driving pairing of JJ Lehto and Steve Soper. Restored by McLaren and maintained by marque specialist Lanzante Ltd., Gooding & Company describes the FINA-liveried Longtail as "a most magnificent example of automotive engineering." Estimate: $5-7m

RM Auctions: 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider (Lot 112)

It’s not one of the three significant racing Porsches which is expected to bring the highest price at RM’s Scottsdale sale, but rather, as you might have guessed, a classic Ferrari. The 1958-built 250 GT LWB, chassis 1055 GT, is the 11^th of only 50 LWB Californias built. It has a single competition outing under its belt, namely the 1962 Osceola Grand Prix in Geneva, Florida, in which it recorded a class win. More recently, the car has undergone an engine rebuild at Roelofs Engineering in the Netherlands, along with a fresh service at Newport Beach Ferrari. You can read a detailed report of the Cal’ Spider here. Estimate: $7-9m

Bonhams: 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Berlinetta ‘The Tailor's Car’ (Lot 173)

Although the catalogue cover for Bonhams’ Scottsdale sale shows a 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C with bodywork by Zagato, the lot with the highest estimate is in fact another Ferrari. The 1951 212 Export Berlinetta is widely known as ‘the Tailor’s Car’ due to its first owner being fashion designer (and gentleman racer) Augusto Caraceni. We’ve already reported extensively on this car. Estimate: $3-4m

Photos: RM Auctions, Gooding & Co., Bonhams

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Blood & Oil - To Create, Be More Awake, And To Be More Alive.

I've known Cale Glendening for less than 24 hours. He's known himself for only 27 years. What I can tell you is, we've found ourselves a man who puts his raw talent out into the world every day - behind a lens - in a way that makes us feel like we've known him much, much longer. 

To steal Cale's own words, Blood & Oil speaks to all avenues of creativity and passionate endeavors - the common thread being desire, determination and the relentless pursuit it takes to see them through. That feeling that wakes you in the dead of night, the call to action that courses through your veins. It doesn't matter what you do or what your passion is, there is always room to be challenged, to grow, advance and to be more inspired. With that heart and intention, Blood & Oil is about wanting to create, be more awake and to be more alive. 

Three days, sixteen setups, nine locations. Reward Cale's passion by running this film as many times as it takes to see both you and him in it.

Produced, Directed and Edited by Cale Glendening
www.caleglendening.com