Ogier joins WRC greats for circuit race

Sebastien Ogier will swap codes when he contests the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup in Germany this weekend. And he’ll be in good company with FIA World Rally Championship legends Markku Alen, Juha Kankkunen and Carlos Sainz all in action.

Ogier, who will front Volkswagen Motorsport’s bid for WRC glory from 2013, will be making his debut in the series at the Nurburgring one week prior to the world championship resuming on ADAC Rallye Deutschland, where he will be competing in a Volkswagen-run Skoda Fabia Super 2000. He is entered as one of the Legends in the one-make series.

He said: “It’s a nice change. I drove the car before, at my Race of Champions victory, and it’s almost as much fun as my rally car. With a front-wheel-drive car you can’t drift really well, though, but that’s not important here. Competing with legends like Kankkunen, Sainz or Alen is a great thing - I’m sure they haven’t lost any of their former skills.”

All four drivers have some circuit racing experience although Alen has the most having raced extensively in the past. He said: “I’ve contested circuit races on several occasions in my career, such as at Le Mans or in the DTM. They were always a nice diversion. I’m hoping that my old rally mates and I’ll be able to revive the legendary days of the WRC in the Scirocco R-Cup once more. In any event, as always, I’ll be going for maximum attack.”