“We absolutely want to win the Volkswagen home rally.”

• Interview with WRC champion Sébastien Ogier about the ADAC Rallye Deutschland

Munich/Trier, 22 July 2014 – He seems to be the measure for them all again in this new WRC season: Sébastien Ogier – the defending champion has five of so far seven 2014 WRC rallies under his belt. The driver from France, aged 30, is among the top favourites in the ADAC Rallye Deutschland (21 to 24 August 2014) as well. After all, Ogier seems to have a predilection for the German WRC event: In 2011, he beat serial Rallye Deutschland winner Sébastien Loeb and has been the new top gun in rally racing ever since.

After joining the VW team, Ogier crowned his career with the WRC title for 2013 together with his long-time co-driver Julien Ingrassia. But they have not won the Rallye Deutschland in their Polo R WRC yet. It is the avowed goal of Sébastien Ogier to win the first triumph for Volkswagen on the German car-makers home turf. In the run-up to the German WRC event, he agreed to talk with us.

M. Ogier, off the top of your head: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear ADAC Rallye Deutschland?
Sébastien Ogier: „For me, the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is the third “home rally” in the calendar after France uand Monte Carlo. As team headquartered in Germany, for us this rally has particular significance. The fans are rooting for us and, among the spectators, there are many Volkswagen employees. Of course we want to be at the top of our performance.”

You won the ADAC Rallye Deutschland for the first time in 2011. What do you expect of the 2014 edition of the German WRC rally? In 2014 you will return to Germany as the defending champion for the first time. Will that put you under more pressure? Or does that motivate you more?
Sébastien Ogier: “No, I don’t feel more under pressure at all. In truth, it’s the other way round. For me and my co-driver Julien Ingrassia, winning the World Championship last year was a dream come true. This has motivated us more for the current season and it has worked pretty well so far. We have big plans for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland; after all we have something to make up for dropping out last year. This time, we absolutely want to win the Volkswagen home rally.”

This year, the military range Baumholder will host an additional spectator-friendly Sprint test. Meaning you will have to run the “Hinkelstein” gauntlet yet one more time. As a driver, do you get a feeling for the spectators and the atmosphere?
Sébastien Ogier: “I have heard the news, it’s great – for us and for the fans. Here, the organisers at ADAC came up with a good idea. The rally should not only be a challenge in terms of rally sport, it should also offer some spectacle to the fans. It’s a good feeling for any driver to see thousands of spectators with their banners and flags from the corner of your eyes. But no, you don’t hear anything. It’s too loud in the cockpit.

They say the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is three rallies rolled into one: Narrow vineyard roads, tough going on the military range and fast asphalt tests. What is you preference?
Sébastien Ogier: “I like the narrow vineyard stages very much, they let the driver feel the awesome speed at which we race along between the stone walls and the steep slopes.”

The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is known as an asphalt rally. Is there anything special to be prepared for on this type of surface?
Sébastien Ogier: “Well, it’s not as if there were one type of asphalt. The asphalt stages at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland are a special challenge precisely because you get a lot of variety in terms of asphalt. For instance, on the Panzerplatte, the surface is extremely aggressive and hard on tyres and dampers. Sometimes you have to take it easier unless you want to have a flat tyre.”

What else do you like about Germany? Other than your girlfriend Andrea Kaiser, of course ...
Sébastien Ogier: “I have been discovering more and more that is beautiful about Germany since I joined the Volkswagen team three years ago. I appreciate how organised everything is and how reliable the people are. And of course, the reliability of my Polo R WRC! The Autobahns are great. I have not quite come to terms with German cooking yet (laughs). And what I really like most about Germany is my girlfriend!”

At the Lausitzring weekend you were a guest driver in the ADAC GT Masters. Was that intended as preliminary asphalt practice for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland?
Sébastien Ogier: “Like almost any other race driver, I enjoy every opportunity to drive on a circuit, no matter whether it is part of a rally or in a circuit race. I always try to add to my experience as a driver. Of course, you cannot compare a circuit race with an asphalt stage in the vineyards. But certainly it won’t make you a worse driver, whether you drive a 550hp Audi R8 LMS ultra or a 315hp Polo R WRC all-wheel.

From your driver point of view, what is the main difference between a rally and circuit racing?
Sébastien Ogier: “The greatest difference is the guy next to me on the “passenger” seat: my co-driver Julien Ingrassia. More than any other motor racing discipline, rally racing is essentially team sport. Without a good co-driver and good recce notes, the best team – which for me Volkswagen fortunately is – and the best rally driver would not be any good. And then we drive on a variety of surfaces: ice, rough gravel, sand, asphalt or snow.”

And now, honestly: did you ever put in a show drift for the spectators when cutting straight through would have been the faster option?
Sébastien Ogier: “To be honest, hardly at all. I always drive to get the best times and win. Drifts cost time. The more I enjoy showing the fans a few spectacular drifts at a show event.”