Sebastien Ogier led a dominant Volkswagen team to victory at Rally Australia last weekend. Volkswagen drivers filled all three podium steps in order of seniority, with Jari-Matti Latvala finishing just 6.8 seconds behind Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen a bit over a minute further behind. With that Volkswagen successfully defended its manufacturers championship and in record time too. There’s three rallies left in the season and with a 50 point lead Ogier is favourite to claim his second world championship, ahead of teammate Latvala.
Volkswagen wrapped up the title in the Manufacturers’ Championship of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with a one-two-three at the Rally Australia. With three rallies still remaining this season, the best result in the history of the team means Volkswagen can no longer be caught at the top of the overall standings. Winners in Australia, Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila, who finished runner-up down under, successfully defended the title in record time. This is the earliest in a season that a World Championship title has been won for 25 years. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (N/N) finished third in the final Polo R WRC to round off a perfect team result. The three Volkswagen crews also top the standings in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Championship. Ogier/Ingrassia and Latvala/Anttila will battle it out between themselves at the remaining three rallies to see who is crowned World Champion at the end of the season.
Facts and figures from the Rally Australia
20 special stages, 17 stage wins – Volkswagen enhanced the already impressive record of the Polo R WRC at the Rally Australia. Since the World Rally Car made its first competitive outing at the 2013 Rally Monte Carlo, the four-wheel drive powerhouse has won a remarkable 297 of 428 stages. It has also ended special stages in the top three on 679 occasions. The Rally Australia’s 20 special stages yielded a further 42 top-three results for the Volkswagen drivers.
FIA Rally World Championship (WRC),
Rally Australia – Final Results
1. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen 2h 53m 18.0s
2. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen + 6.8s
3. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (N/N), Volkswagen + 1m 18.0s
4. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (GB/IRL), Citroën + 1m 44.0s
5. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN/FIN), Ford + 1m 53.6s
6. Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (NZ/NZ), Hyundai + 2m 56.2s
7. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Hyundai + 4m 28.2s
8. Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt (GB/GB), Ford + 5m 10.0s
9. Robert Kubica/Maciej Szczepaniak (PL/PL), Ford + 6m 39.8s
10. Chris Atkinson/Stephane Prevot (AUS/B), Hyundai + 9m 29.4s
FIA Rally World Championship (WRC),
Rally Australia – Power Stage Results
1. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen 5m 20.7s
2. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen + 1.2s
3. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (GB/IRL), Citroën + 3.8s
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Overall Standings
Drivers’ Championship
1. Sébastien Ogier 214
2. Jari-Matti Latvala 164
3. Andreas Mikkelsen 125
4. Mikko Hirvonen 83
5. Thierry Neuville 79
6. Mads Østberg 74
7. Kris Meeke 67
8. Elfyn Evans 61
9. Martin Prokop 37
10. Henning Solberg 26
