Sebastien Ogier, the new prodigy?

The winner of the Junior category at the Mexico Rally, Sébastien Ogier, admitted that he modeled his driving by following the progression of Sébastien Loeb throughout his career.

The 24-year-old Frenchman finished the rally with a minute and a half lead over his closest competitor in the J-WRC and ninth in the Rally Mexico in his first World Championship event.

« Since I started in rallying, I have been watching Sebastien [Loeb]’s onboard cameras. I have developed a note system quite similar to his and it seems to work well », explains Ogier. « It was the longest rally of my career, it is much more difficult than what we were used to. The hardest part is staying in the lead. »

Even though he had only tested his Citroën C2 Super 1600 two days before the first event, Ogier experienced a trouble-free rally. His biggest setback was a puncture during the first day after hitting a rock and bending the steering of his Citroën.

Presented as a future WRC star, Ogier will participate in six rounds of the 2008 J-WRC with the support of Citroën Sport and the French Federation of Automobile Sport.

The talent scouts of the FFSA have a good reputation. One of their discoveries is Sébastien Loeb, who made his WRC debut at the 2000 Tour de Corse driving a Toyota Corolla entered by the FFSA: « We have some things in common », acknowledges Loeb. « He comes from a family with no rally history and is not particularly wealthy. It would have been impossible to do better in Mexico. »

The FFSA has set the J-WRC title as the goal for the first year. If he achieves this goal, he could step up to the WRC as early as next season: « The program is long-term only if I succeed », Ogier recalls. « I think it’s possible for me to win the title but I still have a lot to learn. Fortunately, I have advice from Seb who is somewhat my mentor. »

Ogier will be back on the stages for the Rally of Jordan, which will start on April 24, for a first in this country.

According to the WRC