Of all the times for my dad to phone me, this wasn’t up there with the best of them. History was unfolding before my very eyes, and I was desperate to witness it.
Was my dad to know? Not really. By this point he wasn’t really a fan of the World Rally Championship, and besides he was driving home from work. His eyes weren’t fixated on WRC+ and the opening stage of Rally France Alsace like mine were.
Back in 2013, aged 16, all I wanted to see was a driver other than Sébastien Loeb winning the WRC title for the first time since I was seven. For over half of my life (and all the years I can remember), Loeb had been world champion.
I grew up a Petter Solberg fan, so I spent most of my childhood resenting the Loeb and Citroën juggernaut. Over time I grew to appreciate the majesty of his accomplishments, but in the moment all I wanted was somebody – anybody – to bring the run to an end.
Ogier was about to become that guy.
Granted, Loeb wasn’t truly around in 2013 to challenge him. Ironically he was fulfilling the role Ogier does today – appearing on a part-time basis and still winning rallies, but not in competition for the championship. However this was a big moment for me, and I’m sure countless others of my generation who just couldn’t imagine a world where Loeb wasn’t the reigning WRC champion.
Uniquely, the powerstage of Rally France Alsace was the opening stage, giving Ogier the opportunity to wrap up his maiden world title just one stage into the event.
We’d all thought the Volkswagen star would get the job done in Australia, but for a final stage puncture for Mikko Hirvonen – the man responsible for plenty of my childhood heartbreak – that promoted Thierry Neuville to second and kept the contest alive.
But all Ogier needed was one point, so if he couldn’t do it in Coffs Harbour surely he would do it in Strasbourg!
This therefore was my Thursday afternoon after school sorted. A moment I could not miss. And poignantly, France was one of the events Loeb was contesting.
Sure enough, Ogier did enough to win the title on the first stage – third place on the test securing the one point he needed. Who was one of the first to come and greet him? Loeb. The sight of Loeb embracing Ogier really felt like a baton had been passed from one great to another.
It was truly special to see. As were the celebrations back in the service park, as shown here in this picture from the Girardo & Co. Archive – all very bizarre for a Thursday evening in the WRC!
To my dad if you are reading this and do remember (although that’s doubtful!) that’s why I perhaps sounded distant or distracted that day on the phone.
Truthfully, I can’t remember what we were talking about. But such was the gravity of this now decade-old WRC moment, I remember the rest so clearly.
And ironically, I couldn’t have been more heartbroken when Loeb’s Citroën ended up in a ditch on that final morning. How things can change.
