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Volkswagen's Sebastien Ogier has confessed he felt so ill ahead of the Rally of Portugal, he was unsure he would be able to make the start.
Illness aside, Ogier put in an outstanding performance to win the rally by almost a minute and claim his third consecutive victory from Citroen's Mikko Hirvonen. In addition to not being up to full strength, the points' leader also had to contend with a slipping clutch on his Polo R WRC on the final day, which he believed would end his rally.
““Unbelievable,” said the Frenchman after the event. “What a rollercoaster [ride] here in Portugal! I am overjoyed [with the win].
“First the illness, then the brutal stages, which really push a rally car to the very limit.”
“When we had the problem with the power transmission on this morning's opening stage, I thought: 'That's it Seb. The rally is over,' he confessed. “Fortunately we made it to the service and the guys did a fantastic job there. I think we really deserved the win.”
“The rally was extremely demanding and difficult, for the car, the entire team, and particularly for me,” he continued. “When I arrived in Portugal on Monday evening, I was not certain whether I would be able to start.”
Despite having an advantage of 54 points over second placed Mikko Hirvonen in the driver's standings, Ogier commented that whilst he would not need to win any more rallies this year to secure his first world championship, he would not be giving up on taking wins from the remaining rallies given the competition he faced from rivals in the opening stages of the Portuguese event.
“Looking at the Championship, maybe it looks easy for me,” he said.
“[But] Mads [Ostberg] and Dani [Sordo] were very, very fast [here] before their mistakes. It will be a big fight to keep this kind of result all the year, but now we have a good advantage.”
“Now we don't need to win the rallies, but this is not my plan: I am a competitor and I like the taste of victory.”
Illness aside, Ogier put in an outstanding performance to win the rally by almost a minute and claim his third consecutive victory from Citroen's Mikko Hirvonen. In addition to not being up to full strength, the points' leader also had to contend with a slipping clutch on his Polo R WRC on the final day, which he believed would end his rally.
““Unbelievable,” said the Frenchman after the event. “What a rollercoaster [ride] here in Portugal! I am overjoyed [with the win].
“First the illness, then the brutal stages, which really push a rally car to the very limit.”
“When we had the problem with the power transmission on this morning's opening stage, I thought: 'That's it Seb. The rally is over,' he confessed. “Fortunately we made it to the service and the guys did a fantastic job there. I think we really deserved the win.”
“The rally was extremely demanding and difficult, for the car, the entire team, and particularly for me,” he continued. “When I arrived in Portugal on Monday evening, I was not certain whether I would be able to start.”
Despite having an advantage of 54 points over second placed Mikko Hirvonen in the driver's standings, Ogier commented that whilst he would not need to win any more rallies this year to secure his first world championship, he would not be giving up on taking wins from the remaining rallies given the competition he faced from rivals in the opening stages of the Portuguese event.
“Looking at the Championship, maybe it looks easy for me,” he said.
“[But] Mads [Ostberg] and Dani [Sordo] were very, very fast [here] before their mistakes. It will be a big fight to keep this kind of result all the year, but now we have a good advantage.”
“Now we don't need to win the rallies, but this is not my plan: I am a competitor and I like the taste of victory.”