Rally-eMag December 2013 / Contents
The season comes to a close Let me start by offering my apologies for the delay between the last issue and this one. It’s hard to build a business out of a rally magazine and although we have been working hard, there is still a long way to go to make it profitable. That means that we have other jobs to attend to as well. The busy end of year period caused some delay with creating this issue for you, so sorry for the wait, but you can be assured that we will keep doing what ever needs to be done to get you a monthly Rally-eMag the coming year! On a positive note, we have put together the most elaborate issue to date for you! We cover all six final rallies of the season which should keep you entertained for a while. In her season wrap-up Anna Rudd discusses the highs and lows of the M-Sport this season. I’d like to take some time to talk about the general highs and lows of the season here. When we talked to Mikko Hirvonen in Monte Carlo early this year he was full of confidence. He was the only top-ranked driver with a full year of experience in his current car. With Loeb’s departure this should be his year to shine. We now all know that is not quite how things played out. Hirvonen’s, or Citroën’s for that matter, season was disappointing. Just three wins and two of them for Loeb who wasn’t doing the full season. Dani Sordo scored an emotional win in Germany but that was not enough to prevent team management from taking drastic measures. Both Hirvonen and Sordo leave the team to be replaced by Kris Meeke and Mads Ostberg.Good news for the UK fans! Both Hirvonen and Sordo found a home elsewhere, at M-Sport and Hyundai respectively.
This Month Rallye de FranceAlsace - One down, one to go
RallyRACC-Rally de Espana
Page 11
Page 28
The inside view Anna recaps the season
Croatia Rally
8/64
Enjoy reading! Steven van Veenendaal / Editor
Rallye Sanremo
Page 36
- Kopecky goes for gold
- It ain’t over till it’s over Page 50
Page 41
Rallye International du Valais
Of course, this was Volkswagen’s season. After a year long ‘test session’ they were ready, but modest at the season start. Aiming for genuine podium speed in the half of the season they rapidly matched and surpassed their own goals. Ogier was in incredible form this season and it’s difficult to imagine anyone taking his crown soon. Neuville has the speed but it remains to be seen how fast and reliable the Hyundai is next year. M-Sport did not log a single win this season, but with Neuville they did deliver the brightest young star of the sport. Neuville recorded a bunch of second place finishes to finish the championship in that spot too, definitely a breakthrough season. He’ll be the star at Hyundai next year making room for another young British talent at MSport in Elfyn Evans. Enough to look forward to again!
- An interesting ending to an interesting year
- I came, I saw, I conquered Page 20
Wales Rally GB
- All good things come to an end Page 58
Who made it? Publisher: Rally-eMag Words: Steven van Veenendaal, Harry van Veenendaal. Photography: Bas Romeny, Steven van Veenendaal.
Who helped?
Who we thank!
How to reach us?
Logo design: Minse Blom
PR Photography from: Peugeot Sport, Hyundai Motorsport, Citroen Racing, FIA ERC.
Email: info@rally-emag.com Web: www.rally-emag.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ emagrally Twitter: @emagrally Issuu: www.issuu.com/rally-emag
Distribution: Issuu.com Columnists: Anna Louise Rudd, Michael Jenkins.