Found at: http://www.rallystar.co.za/article/articleprint/4870/-1/68/

WHAT DO YOU GIVE A MAN WHO WON SIX CHAMPIONSHIPS?

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Author: Leon Botha

Publishing date: 05.02.2010 07:51

When you need to decided what will please a man like Sebastien Loeb more than most other things - the answer is actually easy!

He said this week that all he will be aiming for in 2010 is to get his hands on the seventh world title in rallying!

Can you imagine being in a position where you actually gather world titles in arguably the most difficult discipline in motorsport in the world?

This while mere mortals like most of us will give almost everything just to be able to sit in one of these cars while drinking a Red Bull?

The man with six titles...Sebastien Loeb

So far Sébastien Loeb's talent covered the handicap he may have not driving the best car on the rally circuit. I believe that Ford has the winning package and this is where Sébastien's problems may kick in this year?

Mikko Hirvonen has matured better than most people would ever have given him credit for (including yours truly) while he was battling along in the Subaru a few years back. It may sound silly but one of the most impressive drives I believe he had was a few weeks ago when he won in Monte Carlo. Malcolm Wilson will never be able to convince me that there was not serious pressure on them to win the event.

The Ford reputation and their honour were placed directly in the firing line and I can just imagine the build-up as the rally went on. Latvala has a way of disappointing right at the end of an event and he sure as hell gave the saying "not over until the Fat Lady sings" a new meaning. He moved the "not over" to within sight of the goal posts! This must have made Wilson a higger strung guy than he would have liked to be?

Hirvonen on paper will in my humble opinion be the man to beat this year - but lots and lots will depend on how well the car in the hands of Marcus Gronholm will be prepared and also how he will adapt the to new era of speed and technique "introduced" last year.

Looking at his Pike's Peak drive last year on the YouTube video I have some news for him….

Then of course and as long as he is behind the steering of a rally car, there is Petter Solberg. He will be driving a competitive 2009 Citroën and although I do not think he will set the pace, he will sure as hell be there when the pace setters screw up!

If ….if Latvala'tjie keeps his cool at the almost out of control pace he tends to set and he receives a bit of a break from Thorelli the god of rallying - I will place the only R3 I have left on him to upset the applecart! Unfortunately I think he will leave the scene as one of the most talented guys who never made it! At the rate he is going he will be lucky to leave the scene alive - but then you must remember that I have almost written off Hirvonen a few years back and here he is - one of my only hopes to bring Sébastien Loeb back in 2011 to try and take back "his" world crown.

Kimi Raikkonen? There is simply too much to learn in too short a time and although I do believe he will do well, I can not convince myself that he will really be a threat.

If anyone of you believe that any of the mentioned names will do better than Ken Bock in the publicity department without achieving much more than a finish here and there - then you are mistaken. The Monster team will wipe the floor with all of them and at the end of 2010 most Americans will believe that Block won the championship! Mark my words!

Locally - you can expect a brand new sponsor (BIG TIME) to be announced for one of the leading teams while the rest of the happenings are still top secret but we should know some more by the third rally of the season when the South African teams will be announced.

I am not shitting you - we are the only item in the world where publicity actually works in retrospect.

You hear or see nothing until the Thursday after the event - then on Saturday you can watch TV where the producer jumps forward at the camera on every event to announce the event scaring the shit out of any prospective young competitor….thinking about it maybe they are using the same introduction every time and my age causes me not to remember?

What I do know is that Gemmel will announce his new navigator one of these days, Visser du Plessis and Hein Lategan will form a private team and some sponsors will be announced, at the last stock take - Charl Wilken will be driving the exciting new Ford Fiesta while Mohammed Moosa will run an S2000 and the list of yet unannounced sponsors, navigators, cars and even the place where some events will take place goes on.

Sasol will again sponsor the series, while it seems if all but one rally have sponsors in place. All we need now is to be able to get enough money to make participation easier for the privateers!

Then again I am glad to announce that we will be doing the Total Tour Natal Route Notes during next week as the rally is about three weeks away!

The Belfast Rally (that is a few days away) Route notes are still hanging in the one-armed scale after the Regional Committee intervened and… what can I say?

The HiQ Rallystar Sprint Open Day is still on for tomorrow and you are all invited to come and enjoy the day with us. This day was purely booked for those people who would like to test their cars before the first regional and also to get the feel of the new Sprint track, and of course at least to see each other for the first time again this year.

This is not a competition although we will control the runs to ensure safety during tests and practice runs. Helmets, and other safety features will be compulsory!

The Super Special will open at 09h30 although we will all be at the track early on!

See you there…

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