MOTORSPORT: Volkswagen asserts authority at Rally Oz shakedown

Volkswagen Motorsport has assumed the first three positions in shakedown ahead of the first Rally Australia special stage which gets underway on Friday.

But it wasn’t without risk for the two-time WRC champion. A slight error early in shakedown had the Volkswagen mounting a bank and nearly rolling.

“Thankfully I had the right reflex!” he laughed at the post-shakedown media conference, adding that he was still “completely relaxed” heading into tomorrow.

Ogier headed the times after four runs through the 4.98km shakedown stage, with a time of 2:49.4 in the Polo R WRC.

Following the Frenchman was team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen with a best time of 2:50.5 after taking only three passes through the varied stage; a perfect entrée to the event proper with its mix of fast, hard-packed sections and deep, dusty corners.

Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala was in third position, his 2:51.0 best coming on his fifth run.

Demonstrating once more his ability to run with the VW was the Citroen DS3 WRC pilot, Kris Meeke. His first run was the fastest of all, at 2:57.1, however his 2:51.5 best saw him drop to fourth.

The Irishman was followed by two of the three Hyundai i20 WRCs entered, with Thierry Neuville booking a tidy 2:51.6, followed by Dani Sordo – demoted to the third i20 WRC for this event, in favour of Hayden Paddon – only 0.3sec off Neuville.

Ott Tanak was next in the first of the Ford Fiesta RS WRCs, the Estonian rallying at Coffs Harbour for the first time in a World Rally car. He recorded a 2:51.9.

In what is essentially his home event, Hayden Paddon took seven shakedown passes and finished with a 2:52.0, beating Elfyn Evans into eighth position. The latter recorded a 2:52.1 in the second Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Stephane Levebvre, subbing for the injured Mads Ostberg in the second Citroen, was thrown into the fire of his first-ever gravel drive aboard the World Rally car. It is also his first time to Coffs, so his 2:53.4 was highly respectable.

The final WRC runner was Italian Lorenzo Bertelli, aboard his private Fiesta RS WRC. He only completed three passes, with a best of 3:01.7.

Interestingly, Aussie Scott Pedder’s 3:02.4 pass in the WR2-level Ford Fiesta R5 machine almost matched Bertelli, and was fourth quickest of the WRC2 runners, behind established players Nasser Al-Attiyah, Yuri Protasov and Yazeed Al-Rajhi.

Rally Australia gets underway in earnest on Friday morning with the 7.88km Utungun; first of 17 planned special stages taking crews through to the Wedding Bells finale on Sunday afternoon.