Follow Spanish Immigration and Life in Spain: The 2013 season of the World Rally Championship (WRC) Spain round will take place from November 24-27, and this event is the second to last race of the year. After French driver Ogier secured his first annual driver’s championship at the France round, the German team is set to be crowned the annual team champion this week.
Although the Volkswagen team is participating in the WRC for the first time this year with very modest goals, they have already achieved their first podium finish, their first championship, and Ogier has secured the overall championship. For the Spain round, one of the three Volkswagen drivers—Ogier, Latvala, or Mikkelsen—finishing in the top seven will help the team clinch the annual championship.
“We only need a seventh place to secure the championship. If everything goes well, we will achieve our goal in Spain. If we accomplish this, it would be a great addition to our first season. At the beginning of the season, we never imagined we could achieve this result. The entire team will give their all to ensure that nothing goes wrong. I can confidently say that our team has no weaknesses, which makes me very proud,” said Jost Capito, Director of Volkswagen Motorsport.
Ogier, who has already been crowned the annual champion before the Spain round, expressed his anticipation and stated that he will approach the race with a relaxed mindset to help the team secure the team championship.
“I am very much looking forward to the Spain round. I must say that participating in the race as a world champion is a fantastic feeling, and it will allow me to be more relaxed and faster during the race. Regardless, I will enjoy the race. Of course, securing the championship is also very important for the team. Winning both championships in our first year of competition would be a perfect season for Volkswagen. I really like the Spain round because you have to drive on two types of surfaces, which is particularly challenging. The fans in Spain are also very passionate, and racing in front of them is a lot of fun,” Ogier said.
Before the Spain round, Volkswagen leads the annual team standings with 339 points, followed by Citroën with 259 points.