With Neste Oil Rally Finland rapidly approaching, the 2013 Junior WRC drivers are busy preparing for one of the most exciting and nerve-racking tests on the WRC calendar. Finland marks the third gravel outing for the Juniors, but boasts faster, more flowing roads than Portugal and Greece with high top speeds and imposing crests. Fortunately, the young drivers have current WRC leaders and 2008 Junior Champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia visiting them on Sunday 28th July to give as much advice as possible on how to tackle the event.
Ogier remembers just how useful this kind of advice was to him as a Junior, because even the smallest of tips can give a young driver an edge in a competitive field: “I have very good memories from when I was in the Juniors. As a young driver it’s great to have the chance to learn from top drivers – I often spoke with Sébastien Loeb and his advice helped me improve a lot. It seems crazy only five years later to be one of the drivers giving the advice! I think winning the Juniors helped me get my seat in a WRC car. You get to show you’re competitive from the start and can beat other fast young drivers.
“Elfyn Evans proved in Sardinia that the level of young drivers at the moment is quite high. I just hope that when Julien and I speak to the 2013 Junior WRC crews in Finland, we can teach them something from our experience. There’s a lot of information to take in when you first start out, but if you can stay focused off as well as on the stages, you can pick up useful tips that’ll stay with you forever!”
With Neste Oil Rally Finland rapidly approaching, the 2013 Junior WRC drivers are busy preparing for one of the most exciting and nerve-racking tests on the WRC calendar. Finland marks the third gravel outing for the Juniors, but boasts faster, more flowing roads than Portugal and Greece with high top speeds and imposing crests. Fortunately, the young drivers have current WRC leaders and 2008 Junior Champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia visiting them on Sunday 28th July to give as much advice as possible on how to tackle the event.
Ogier remembers just how useful this kind of advice was to him as a Junior, because even the smallest of tips can give a young driver an edge in a competitive field: “I have very good memories from when I was in the Juniors. As a young driver it’s great to have the chance to learn from top drivers – I often spoke with Sébastien Loeb and his advice helped me improve a lot. It seems crazy only five years later to be one of the drivers giving the advice! I think winning the Juniors helped me get my seat in a WRC car. You get to show you’re competitive from the start and can beat other fast young drivers.
“Elfyn Evans proved in Sardinia that the level of young drivers at the moment is quite high. I just hope that when Julien and I speak to the 2013 Junior WRC crews in Finland, we can teach them something from our experience. There’s a lot of information to take in when you first start out, but if you can stay focused off as well as on the stages, you can pick up useful tips that’ll stay with you forever!”