Favourite Sébastien Ogier slides off

• Ogier makes mistake in Moselland after thrilling duel with Latvala

Munich/Trier. 22 August, 2014 – In the first part of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland around Trier, world champion Sébastien Ogier (F) lived up to his role as the favourite, but his Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) put him under massive pressure.

On the first five of 18 special stages, the Frenchman and the Finn alternated in setting fastest stage times with their Volkswagen Polo R WRCs. They easily pulled clear from the opposition. Only British driver Kris Meeke with his Citroën DS3 WRC, Spaniard Dani Sordo with the Hyundai i20 WRC and Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen with his Volkswagen Polo R WRC at least managed to slightly keep up with the front-runners.

Belgian driver Thierry Neuville, who had heavily damaged his Hyundai i20 WRC after a multiple roll during the shakedown on Thursday, also showed a surprisingly strong performance on Friday. Within 19 hours, the service crew managed to get the crashed car back in its original shape again. Neuville made it to the start in time and in spite of some issues with the hand brake, he hold on to a strong fifth place overall.

Going into the sixth and final special stage of the daily leg on Friday, favourite Ogier had a 5.5 seconds’ lead from Latvala, but then slid off the road on the Moselland stage and landed several metres down on a parallel road through the vineyards. From there, Ogier couldn’t make it back onto the original route again and drove his hardly damaged Volkswagen Polo R WRC straight into the service area. Ogier’s excursion was penalised with ten minutes on Latvala’s fastest time, so that the world champion has now dropped back to 35th place overall.

Standings 1st leg after 6 of 18 special stages:

1. Latvala/Anttila FIN/FIN Volkswagen Polo R WRC 59.36.8 min.
2. Meeke/Nagle GBR/IRL Citroën DS3 WRC - 37.0 sec.
3. Sordo/Marti ESP/ESP Hyundai i20 WRC - 42.6 sec.
4. Mikkelsen/Floene NOR/NOR Volkswagen Polo R WRC - 45.6 sec.
5. Neuville/Gilsoul BEL/BEL Hyundai i20 WRC - 53.1 sec.
6. Hirvonen/Lehtinen FIN/FIN Ford Fiesta RS WRC - 55.0 sec.
…
35. Ogier/Ingrassia FRA/FRA Volkswagen Polo R WRC - 9.54.5 min.

Secure the final tickets right now!

Ticket sales for the 2014 ADAC Rallye Deutschland is in full swing. The rally pass can be purchased at a price of 69 Euros (for ADAC members in ADAC offices 64 Euros). In the ADAC offices in Trier, Koblenz, Idar Oberstein and Saabrücken as well as in Trier at the Servicepark Trier (Messegelände), at the Rally Headquarter Trier (Hotel Park Plaza) and the Tourist Information office at the Porta Nigra, tickets can also be acquired. Moreover, tickets can also be bought throughout the ADAC Rallye Deutschland at all ticket sales booths and information points. Locations and business hours can be found at: www.adac.de/rallye-deutschland.

The rally pass in detail:

In 2014, the ADAC Rallye Deutschland rally pass again is the German ‘flatrate’ for four action-packed rallying days. It provides access to all the spectator areas along the special stages, the shakedown and the service park. There, rally fans can get really close to the action and can watch the team members at work and admire the rally stars.

The ticket includes:

- Access to all special stages on all days of the event
- Access to the service park on all days of the event
- Access to the shakedown on Thursday
- Spectator Map with all the relevant information about the rallying action
- ADAC Rallye Deutschland lanyard
- ADAC Rallye Deutschland sticker

The official 2014 ADAC Rallye Deutschland magazine

The official 2014 ADAC Rallye Deutschland magazine includes 100 pages full of action about the German round of the World Rally Championship. Comprehensive information about drivers, teams, stages, spectator points and the WRC regulations. Detailed maps, thrilling background features, exclusive interviews, an attractive competition and many other rally elements round off the reference work for fans at home and on site. The magazine can be ordered at 5 Euros at www.adac-rallye-deutschland.de and www.adrenalin-verlag.com. During the ADAC Rallye Deutschland (21 till 24 August, 2014), the magazine can also be purchased at the ticket sales booths, information points and at the special stages.