Sebastien Ogier claims eighth win of season in Wales Rally GB
Last Updated: 11/12/15 9:30am
Sebastien Ogier finished off his title-winning 2015 World Rally Championship campaign with victory in the Wales Rally GB.
The Frenchman had already secured the title for a third successive season in September but made it eight race wins for the season with a narrow victory in a race that was lashed by heavy rain and strong winds.
Ogier, driving a Volkswagen Polo R, was 26 seconds quicker than Britain's Kris Meeke over the three-day event, but Meeke's second place was good enough to secure second in the manufacturers' title for Citroen.
Andreas Mikkelsen filled third spot, but that result was not quite enough to pass Jari-Matti Latvala, who claimed second place behind Ogier in the drivers' standings.
Latvala was fastest on the closing Power Stage, but his chances of a decent finish had been ended by a crash on the opening day when his Polo ended up in a ditch. But the stage victory earned him three bonus points as he looked to stave off Mikkelsen's challenge for second.
Ogier stretched a French flag over his car as he was being crowned winner, and admitted it was tough for him to celebrate in the wake of Friday's terror attacks in Paris which claimed the lives of 129 people.
"Okay, victory here is the best way to finish the season but there is no point to celebrate anything today. We have other things on our mind. It has been a difficult weekend," he said on WRC.com.
Wales Rally GB result:
1 Sebastien Ogier (Fra) Volkswagen 2hrs 55 mins 59.5secs
2 Kris Meeke (Gbr) Citroen +26.0secs
3 Andreas Mikkelsen (Nor) Volkswagen +36.2
4 Daniel Sordo (Esp) Hyundai +2:51.3
5 Hayden Paddon (Nzl) Hyundai +3:00.5
6 Elfyn Evans (Gbr) Ford +3:09.1
7 Mads Ostberg (Nor) Citroen +4:28.4
8 Stephane Lefebvre (Fra) Citroen +5:38.4
9 Robert Kubica (Pol) Ford +6:22.7
10 Lorenzo Bertelli (Ita) Ford +8:05.0
