Could Loeb’s trip down under be pointless?

9th September 2011

By Gus Burrows

It’s been 818 days and 27 rallies since the greatest driver in the history of the FIA World Rally Championship hasn’t scored a point in the drivers’ championship.

Could this be the day that Citroen ace Sebastien Loeb relives a fate not experienced since the Acropolis Rally of Greece in 2009?

While his team frantically repair the DS3 World Rally Car in an attempt to pass scrutineering, allowing the Frenchman back in the hunt for points on Rally Australia this weekend, it leaves time to reflect how intense the sport of rally has become.

Loeb looked down at a screen in the middle of his DS3 to catch a glimpse of a split time, due to a natural urge of competitiveness. He looked up and said to co-driver Daniel Elena, “It’s ok, I’ve seen the split” and then realised he was in the middle of a fourth-gear corner and bang! Bank and roll, game over. All this occurred in a matter of microseconds and under conditions which already had the Hall-of-Famer in a cautious state-of-mind.

Technology has forced modern drivers to mould themselves into perfectionists as World Rally Cars are now being pushed beyond the limits of believability. Running wide on a corner might cost a driver half a second. Four years ago in New Zealand we saw the closest finish in WRC history – 0.3 seconds. This year’s Rally Jordan saw that record broken again – 0.2 second.

After 250 kilometres of competitive, 0.2 seconds is all of half a car length, so it’s no wonder these drivers and throwing everything they have at every stage, every time, regardless of conditions.

 But at what cost does this means to define the boundary of limitations come? A sacrifice to spectators of good old-fashioned ‘sideways’ action? A budget suitable for a Saudi Prince? All we know from today is the limits of machinery can pushed but the pilot can only be pushed so far before human reaction reaches a point of no return.