Volkswagen Motorsport boss Jost Capito has paid tribute to Sebastien Ogier for taking his squad’s maiden victory in the World Rally Championship on only its second event.
Polo R driver Ogier led Rally Sweden from SS2 and won 11 of the event’s 22 special stages before clinching the win by 41.8sec from reigning champion Sebastien Loeb.
Capito said the result already far exceeded expectations of what the team would achieve in its debut season.
“We didn’t even dream that we could get this result so soon,” he said. “We came here to learn, it’s the second rally and this is the fantastic result. Normally rallies are up and down, but we had no downs. It was unbelievable.
“To win the second round of the World Championship under our own steam is a real milestone. The Rally Sweden is one of a kind. The Polo R WRC worked perfectly in these conditions, and Sebastien took full advantage. He was in a class of his own here. We all know he is capable of the pace, but I didn’t know he could do it already with the Polo.”
Ogier joins nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb as only the second winner of the rally to come from outside of Sweden, Norway and Finland. Loeb was the first to break the Nordic countries’ stranglehold in 2004.