With our DirtFish colleague Ott Tänak electing to sidestep the number one in favour of eight, we’ve decided to look behind some of the new door-sticking digits on the factory cars this season.
World Rally champion Tänak is the man who makes history in the WRC, becoming the first title winner not to defend his crown wearing no.1
Why?
“The number eight worked for me last year,” he told DirtFish. “Why would I change that?”
Why indeed.
But what about the man who has dominated numero uno for the last five years (it was still Sébastien Loeb’s in 2013, remember)? What about Sébastien Ogier? Why the number 17.
“Maybe it’s because I want the number one for the seventh time,” smiled the Frenchman. “Or maybe it’s because the 17th is my birthday!”
Either works for us. Now, Kalle Rovanperä and 69.
“It’s a good number,” offered the Finn with a grin. There’s no denying 69 works on rally cars, even when they don’t stay dirty side down…
This year’s WRC numbers
#3 Teemu Suninen/Jarmo Lehtinen – M-Sport Ford
#4 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm – M-Sport Ford
#8 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja – Hyundai
#9 Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena – Hyundai
#11 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul – Hyundai
#17 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia – Toyota
#18 Takamoto Katsuta/Daniel Barritt – Toyota
#33 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin – Toyota
#44 Gus Greensmith/Elliott Edmonson – M-Sport Ford
#69 Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen – Toyota
