Video: Volkswagen Motorsport and Rally the World look back at the special stage that was 2013

Only one month separates us from the end of the year. Where did it go? Nah, not one of those who claim they never realize what happened to the past 12 months. Sure, time flies, but only if you let it fly. There is something special about this time of year if you’re a rally fan. It usually means you just saw Rally Great Britain wrap one season up and then, with barely any time to spare in between you’re already getting ready for the Rallye Monte Carlo in January. It’s not the Christmas or the New Year that excite me in this time of year, not nearly as the thought of a clean slate, fresh new season of WRC, and with a new team on board, nonetheless.

But before that happens, there is a little something we should really do while it’s still 2013. We should bid our season goodbye with one last look at what made it so special. I hope we can agree 2013 was quite special. Because new team, new champion and some very exciting new developments. For some, 2013 was a year of success, for some it was a year of difficulties and for some it was a learning year. Which somehow perfectly describes what the 2013 looked like for Volkswagen Motorsport. Sebastien Ogier did what any self-respecting Sebastien in motorsport does, he came, won and then won some more. Jari-Matti Latvala pushed, struggled but never gave up – Jari-Matti rarely does, in fact, it’s the rollcage that gives up sooner than this guy does. And for Andreas Mikkelsen, 2013 was a year of learning.

So, how did Volkswagen Motorsport see 2013, what did it look like from their perspective? Instead of reading through the wall-of-text reviews, we all much more prefer our season reports in the form of a video feature. Which is exactly what Rally the World did. Their 2013 review video is, put simply, perfect. For me, it looks like one big, extremely diverse and exciting special stage. Which, in a way, is how you see the past year, when you look back, right? Each gear change, each hairpin slide or a jump is part of the story, and it simply works brilliantly. 2013 was your stage, ladies and gents of the Volkswagen Motorsport, but you already know that, don’t you?

This feature, and few others, got a bit delayed and postponed because I got involved with other projects, none of which has anything to do with rallying. I’ll try to repair the damage of being late at the party while some of the WRC is still sober!