Sebastien Ogier (right) and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia (left) receive the winners’
trophyafter winning the for the Wales Rally GB yesterday. (AFP)

AFP/Cardiff


World champion Sebastien Ogier capped another triumphant year with an emotional third successive victory in the season-ending Wales Rally GB yesterday.
The Frenchman, behind the wheel of his VW Polo-R, finished 26 seconds ahead of Kris Meeke, with the Briton’s Citroen teammate Andreas Mikkelsen of Norway completing the podium at 36.2sec.
“We’re happy to finish the season like that from a sporting view, but my mind wasn’t really there this weekend,” said Ogier referring to Friday night’s terror attacks in his native France which killed 129 people.
“It was hard to carry on after the tragedy in France and our thoughts were with the people. We wanted this victory as our small sign for those who have been touched, and to show we must be even stronger against these things,” said Ogier.
It was the eighth win of the season and 32nd in total for the 31-year-old Ogier who won his third world title in September.
“Victory here is the best way to finish the season but there is no point to celebrate anything,” Ogier said. “We have other things on our mind. It has been a difficult weekend.”
Volkswagen finished atop the manufacturers’ championship, while Meeke’s second place and seventh position for Norway’s Mads Ostberg gave Citroen the runners-up spot ahead of Hyundai.
“I never believed in victory, I think that Ogier had it all in hand, but I’m very satisfied to get on the podium for the first time in ‘my’ rally,” said Meeke.
Ogier’s VW teammate Jari-Matti Latvala won four stages yesterday but finished far down the standings after crashing off the road in atrocious weather conditions on Friday and suffering technical problems Saturday.
But by picking up three bonus points in the final Power Stage (SS19) Latvala finished runner-up behind Ogier in the world championship.
Ogier matches retired compatriot Sebastien Loeb with a third straight Rally GB win after overcoming numerous obstacles in a race which was hampered by heavy rain and high winds.
Meeke had taken the lead after SS11 when Ogier was forced to come to a standstill after Thierry Neuville rolled his Hyundai. Race organisers deducted 31 seconds from Ogier’s time to compensate the delay which allowed the French driver to recapture the lead which he held until the finish line.