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Hirvonen wins in Italy


Finland's Mikko Hirvonen won the Rally of Italy on Sunday in the absence of Citroen team mate and nine-times world champion Sebastien Loeb. Was Hirvonen's first victory for Citroen and 15th of his career.

Frenchman Loeb hit rocks and retired on Friday on the first full day of the rally in Sardinia, the penultimate round of the championship and first event since he retained his title in France earlier this month.
 
Russian Evgeny Novikov was second, one minute 20 seconds behind, with Estonian Ott Tanak third, both in privately-entered Fords.

Result from the 2012 Rally of Italy

1 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) Citroen 3hr23min54.900
2 Evgeny Novikov (Russia) Ford +01min20.6
3 Ott Taenak (Estonia) Ford +02min21.1
4 Mads Ostberg (Norway) Ford +03min42.9
5 Sebastien Ogier (France) Skoda +04min27.5
6 Chris Atkinson (Australia) Mini +05min22.2
7 Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) Skoda +06min12.5
8 Martin Prokop (Czech Republic) Ford +09min29.3
9 Petter Solberg (Norway) Ford +09min52.3
10 Luca Pedersoli (Italy) Citroen +20min35.6

Drivers and Constructor points after Rally of Italy

1 Sebastien Loeb (France) Citroen Total World Rally Team - 244
2 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) Citroen Total World Rally Team - 198
3 Mads Ostberg (Norway) Mads Ostberg - 137
4 Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland) Ford World Rally Team - 133
5 Petter Solberg (Norway) Ford World Rally Team - 124
6 Evgeny Novikov (Russia) M-Sport Ford World Rally Team - 87
7 Thierry Neuville (Belgium) Citroen Junior World Rally Team - 53
8 Ott Taenak (Estonia) M-Sport Ford World Rally Team - 52
9 Martin Prokop (Czech Republic) Czech Ford Rally Team - 46
10 Sebastien Ogier (France) Volkswagen Motorsport - 41

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Sébastien Loeb clinches ninth consecutive WRC title


Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena have won Rallye de France Alsace to secure their ninth FIA World Rally Championship crown.

In the process they have helped Citroen secure the WRC manufacturers title for an eighth time.

Jari-Matti Latvala finished second for Ford with Mikko Hirvonen adding to Citroen’s joy in third place.

But by reaching the finish of the run Sebastien Loeb claimed the overall victory - his 75th in the FIA World Rally Championship - to secure in his ninth WRC drivers title with Citroen becoming WRC manufacturers champion for an eighth time.
 
Belgium Thierry Neuville moved up two places from sixth overnight to fourth in his Citroen after winning Sunday's first three stages, as Spaniard Daniel Sordo lost ground after the powersteering on his Mini Cooper failed.

Rallye de France-Alsace: Overall standings after Stage 22 (Top 10):

1. Sebastien Loeb    Citroen Total WRT DS3 WRC     3hours 32mins 53.0secs M
2. Jari-Matti Latvala    Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC     +00mins 15.5secs M
3. Mikko Hirvonen    Citroen Total WRT DS3 WRC     +00mins 44.1secs M
4. Thierry Neuville Citroen Junior WRT DS3 WRC     +01mins 07.3secs M
5. Mads Ostberg    Adapta WRT Fiesta RS WRC     +01mins 16.4secs M
6. Ott Tanak     M-Sport Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC    +02mins 27.9secs M
7. Evgeny Novikov    M-Sport Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC    +05mins 51.6secs M
8. Chris Atkinson    WRC MINI Team Portugal John Cooper Works WRC +06mins 42.4secs
9. Martin Prokop    Czech Ford National Team Fiesta RS WRC +08mins 46.8secs
10. Sebastien Chardonnet FFSA Citroen WRT DS3 WRC    +08mins 59.7secs

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Hyundai returns to WRC with i20


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Latvala wins Rally GB


Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala won the Wales Rally GB on Sunday, ending reigning champion Sebastien Loeb’s run of five-straight victories in the World Rally Championship.

Latvala won by 27.8 seconds, his first taste of victory since February in an otherwise disappointing season and the first win for his Ford team since Portugal in April.
Citroen’s Loeb took second place by just 0.9 seconds from Latvala’s teammate Petter Solberg, with Mads Ostberg fourth.

The result increases Loeb’s championship lead over teammate Mikko Hirvonen and leaves the Frenchman in a near-impregnable position with three rallies remaining.

Hirvonen was fifth but took the three bonus points for being fastest on the Power Stage. Russian driver Evgeny Novikov came in sixth, working with replacement co-driver Ilka Minor because of an injury to his regular co-driver.

Wales Rally GB: Overall standings

1. Jari-Matti Latvala    Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC     3hours 03mins 40.3secs M
2. Sebastien Loeb    Citroen Total WRT DS3 WRC     +00mins 27.8secs M
3. Petter Solberg    Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC     +00mins 28.7secs M
4. Mads Ostberg    Adapta WRT Fiesta RS WRC     +01mins 10.6secs M
5. Mikko Hirvonen    Citroen Total WRT DS3 WRC     +01mins 29.5secs M
6. Evgeny Novikov    M-Sport Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC    +03mins 37.0secs M
7. Thierry Neuville Citroen Junior WRT DS3 WRC     +04mins 11.9secs M
8. Matthew Wilson    M-Sport Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC    +06mins 00.4secs
9. Martin Prokop    Ford Fiesta RS WRC +06mins 58.9secs
10. Nasser Al-Attiyah    Qatar WRT Citroen DS3 WRC     +09mins 32.1secsM

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Loeb wins in Germany


Citroen's Sebastien Loeb puts in another masterful performance in Germany to claim victory.

Loeb led throughout the three-days and eventually finished the event 2 minutes up on Jari-Matti Latvala, who was 'best of the rest' for Ford. It was Loeb's fifth win in succession - and his ninth in total in Trier. He also took the honours in the Power Stage too.

Mikko Hirvonen meanwhile took the final spot on the podium, 31.3 seconds further back, followed by Mads Ostberg, Chris Atkinson, Sebastien Ogier, Andreas Mikkelsen and Nasser Al-Attiyah in positions 4 through to 8. Ott Tanak and Dani Sordo rounded out the top ten.

1. Sebastien Loeb     Citroen Total WRT DS3 WRC     3hours 41mins 52.4secs M
2. Jari-Matti Latvala     Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC     +02mins 00.1secs M
3. Mikko Hirvonen     Citroen Total WRT DS3 WRC     +02mins 31.4secs M
4. Mads Ostberg     Adapta WRT Fiesta RS WRC     +03mins 24.4secs M
5. Chris Atkinson    WRC MINI Team Portugal John Cooper Works WRC +09mins 10.4secs
6. Sebastien Ogier     VW Motorsport Skoda Fabia S2000    +09mins 50.8secs
7. Andreas Mikkelsen     VW Motorsport Skoda Fabia S2000    +12mins 22.7secs
8. Nasser Al-Attiyah     Qatar WRT Citroen DS3 WRC     +12mins 50.4secs M
9. Ott Tanak     M-Sport Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC    +13mins 01.3secs M
10. Dani Sordo     Prodrive WRC Team MINI John Coopers Works WRC +14mins 17.3secs

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Loeb wins in Finland


Sébastien Loeb dominated the Finns at their own game to take his 73rd career WRC win. 

The Frenchman, chasing his ninth successive championship, finished ahead of local favourite and team mate Mikko Hirvonen with another Finn, Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala, in third place.
Loeb finished the final Ouninpohja 2 stage 6.1 seconds ahead of Hirvonen, who lost precious time in the morning when he hit a tree. Latvala was a further 28.9 adrift.
 
Norway's Petter Solberg was fourth in a Ford.
 
The victory was Loeb's sixth in eight races this season, 73rd of his career, and he led from start to finish. The Frenchman now has 171 points to Hirvonen's 128 with five rounds remaining.
 
"It's very satisfying to win in Finland," said the Frenchman. "I didn't come here especially to win, I came for points because it's very difficult to beat the Finnish drivers.
 
"It was a great fight with Mikko, a one-two for Citroen and great for the championship."

 TOP TEN FINAL
1 Loeb
2 Hirvonen +6.1s
3 Latvala +35.0s
4 Solberg +56.1s
5 Ostberg +2:32.1s
6 Tanak + 2:47.6s
7 Rantanen +4:51.7s
8 Ketomaa + 6:01.9s
9 Prokop + 6:04.3s
10 Ogier + 8:46.0s

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Craig Breen crash Finland


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Loeb wins Rally New Zealand


Sebastien Loeb extended his World Rally Championship lead to 38 points as he took his fifth win in seven 2012 rallies in New Zealand.

The eight-time defending world champion finished 29.6 seconds ahead of Citroen teammate Mikko Hirvonen.

The win once again underlined the Frenchman's utter dominance in the sport over the past eight years.

"It's been a long weekend and my driving has not been perfect," Loeb said.

"We made a few mistakes in the closing power stage, when we were pushing too hard but the most important thing is that we have won."

Norway's Petter Solberg finished third in the fastest Ford and said tyre selection on the opening day cost him dear.

"We came here to win but a third place is still good so we must be happy with that," he said. "The team and the car is fantastic, but we just need to keep going and hopefully one day soon a win will follow."

 Rally New Zealand: Overall standings after Stage 22 (Top 10):

1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT DS3 WRC 4hours 04mins 51.2secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen Total WRT DS3 WRC +00mins 29.6secs M
3. Petter Solberg Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC +01mins 36.4secs M
4. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC +02mins 13.6secs M
5. Thierry Neuville Qatar WRT Citroen DS3 WRC +02mins 42.4secs M
6. Dani Sordo Prodrive WRC Team MINI John Cooper Works WRC +03mins 03.1secs
7. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC +04mins 52.9secs M
8. Armindo Araujo WRC MINI Team Portugal John Cooper Works WRC +09mins 36.4secs
9. Ken Block Monster WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC +10mins 30.3secs
10. Manfred Stohl Brazil WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC +11mins 26.3secs M

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2013 WRC calendar

Next year's FIA World Rally Championship will include a return to Australia as part of a 13-event calendar.

Although the dates of the events have yet to be finalised, has adopted the calendar proposed by the WRC Commission.

In addition to Australia, Argentina, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Monte Carlo, Portugal, Spain and Sweden will all host a round of the WRC in 2013.

The definitive calendar will be published once logistics and the calendars of other FIA championships are taken into account to avoid date clashes where possible.

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Loeb wins in Greece

Sebastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena have won the Acropolis Rally for a third time following a faultless display in their Citroen DS3 WRC.
After seeing off determined challenges from Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg, Loeb was able to win with ease, despite a late scare when he and Elena had to stop to change a puncture tyre on stage 20.
Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen made it a Citroen one-two with Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila claiming the final podium spot for the factory Ford team.
It was Loeb’s fourth victory in this season’s FIA World Rally Championship.

Acropolis Rally:
1. Sebastien Loeb     Citroen Total WRT DS3 WRC     4hours 42mins 03.3secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen     Citroen Total WRT DS3 WRC     +00mins 40.0secs M
3. Jari-Matti Latvala     Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC     +03mins 04.8secs M
4. Mads Ostberg     Adapta WRT Fiesta RS WRC     +06mins 16.4secs
5. Martin Prokop Ford Fiesta RS WRC     +07mins 46.5secs
6. Thierry Neuville Citroen Junior WRT DS3 WRC     +09mins 41.4secs M
7. Sebastien Ogier     VW Motorsport Skoda Fabia S2000    +12mins 59.9secs
8. Yazeed Al-Rajhi     Ford Fiesta RCC     +20mins 12.2secs
9. Ott Tanak     M-Sport Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC +23mins 18.9secs M
10. Abdulaziz Alkuwari     Seashore Qatar WRT MINI John Cooper Works WRC +28mins 40.5secs

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Hirvonen wins in Portugal

Mikko Hirvonen has taken the victory on Rally de Portugal,  the fourth round in the 2012 WRC.

Hirvonen began today's leg comfortably out front and in the end he took the victory by almost 2 minutes. It is his first win with Citroen and comes after a dramatic event, in which his team-mate, Sebastien Loeb went out on Thursday night and both Ford works drivers, Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg went off on Friday, when heavy rain, fog and mud made conditions extremely treacherous.

Mads Ostberg came through to take the runners-up spot, with Evgeny Novikov third despite a problem with his throttle cable on the final loop.

Solberg fought back from his day two woe to take fourth with Nasser Al-Attiyah and Martin Prokop completing the top six.

Dani Sordo meanwhile took the honours in the event ending Power Stage, ahead of Latvala and Ott Tanak.

1. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen Total WRT DS3 WRC 4hours 19mins 24.3secs M
2. Mads Ostberg Adapta WRT Fiesta RS WRC +01mins 51.8secs
3. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC +03mins 25.0secs M
4. Petter Solberg Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC +03mins 47.4secs M
5. Nasser Al-Attiyah Qatar WRT Citroen DS3 WRC +07mins 57.6secs M
6. Martin Prokop Czech Ford National Team Fiesta RS WRC +08mins 01.0secs
7. Dennis Kuipers M-Sport Ford WRT Fiesta RS WRC +08mins 39.1secs
8. Sebastien Ogier VW Motorsport Skoda Fabia S2000 +09mins 00.8secs
9. Thierry Neuville Citroen Junior WRT DS3 WRC +10mins 29.7secs M
10. Jari Ketomaa Ford Fiesta RS WRC +11mins 44.6secs

UPDATE: Mikko Hirvonen’s Citroën DS3 WRC/Michelin has been disqualified from the results of the 2012 Rally de Portugal for a technical infringement. The decision provides Mads Ostberg with the first WRC win of his young career.  

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Loeb wins Rally Mexico

Sébastien Loeb has won round 3 of the World Rally Championship, Rally Mexico.
The Frenchman never turned a wheel wrong over the 400+ kilometres over the three days of running in the Mexican high-altitude. From the frenetic street stages, to the rock strewn gravel sectors, Loeb was in control on this his 69th career WRC victory.
In the Power Stage it was Petter Solberg taking the three bonus points for best time ahead of Loeb and Mads Ostberg. Loeb now has a 16 point lead in the championship from Hirvonen.
Jari-Matti Latvala had a rollercoaster weekend with plenty of brilliant fast times, but punctures and broken front suspension dropped him back from the two Citroens. On the mega 54.3km Guanajuatito stage he rolled up his Fiesta, destroying the front end of the Ford. Then the FIA ruled that Latvala could not continue on and he leaves Mexico with no points !
Mikko Hirvonen’s runner-up finish is a fine result, taking into account Rally Mexico was just his third event in the DS3 and who happens to be his Citroen team-mate.
Petter Solberg salvages a podium spot for Ford after what was a trying weekend of repeated punctures for the Norwegian after he had gone quickest in qualifying and SS1. Mads Ostberg kept his driving neat and tidy to take fifth, ahead of Ott Tanak. Nasser Al-Attiyah excited the spectators with his enthusiastic driving style and demeanour. Armindo Araujo, Sébastien Ogier in the VW run Skoda Fabia S2000, American showman Ken Block and local driver Ricardo Trevino complete the points scoring order.

FINAL RESULTS
1 Sébastien Loeb Citroen DS3 WRC
2 Mikko Hirvonen Citroen DS3 WRC +42.4s
3 Petter Solberg Ford Fiesta RS WRC+2:11.4s
4 Mads Ostberg Ford Fiesta RS WRC +4:51.5s
5 Ot Tanak Ford Fiesta RS WRC +5:02.6s
6 Nasser Al-Attiyah Citroen DS3 WRC + 6:41.4s
7 Arlindo Araujo Mini JCW WRC +12:46.9s
8 Sébastien Ogier  Skoda Fabia S2000 +14:57.8s
9 Ken Block Ford Fiesta RS WRC +22:26.8s
10 Ricardo Trivino Ford Fiesta RS WRC +23:30.7s

DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Loeb 66 points
2 Hirvonen 50
3 P. Solberg 47
4 Latvala 32
5 Ostberg 28
6 Novikov 21
7 Sordo 18
8 Tanak 14
9 Delecour 8
= Al-Attiyah 8 

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Latvala wins Rally Sweden


Jari-Matti Latvala has taken his second Swedish triumph, his sixth career WRC victory.

After an early day 2 scrap with former team-mate Mikko Hirvonen, and despite a puncture on SS22, Latvala controlled from the front on day 3 to defeat Hirvonen by 16.6 seconds. In addition to picking up his first 25 points of the season, Latvala also picked up one point for third place in the Power Stage, which was won by Sébastien Loeb with Peter Solberg taking two points for second best time.

No one argue that this win was a long time coming for Latvala who has matured into a proper championship contender. Ford’s lead driver scored his first WRC victory in Sweden in 2008 and today he returns to the top step of the podium in the gorgeous white winter land.  "I won this rally four years ago and now I have won it again” said an ecstatic Latvala. “I am really happy for the team and Petter did a very good job. We still have a lot of work to do, but we want to fight with Citroen this season. It is really special to win here, four years after I won my first rally here. This is the first rally I have won two times. We had a lot of pressure following Monte-Carlo and this takes all that pressure off. I think we are going to really challenge Citroen, because we are working so hard," concluded the happy Finn.

Mads Ostberg made the most of a puncture from Petter Solberg as well as putting in a spirited drive on Sunday to complete the podium, his second such performance two-years running in Sweden after he took second in 2011. Solberg had to settle for fourth place ahead of Evgeny Novikov, who takes his second top five result of the season.   

Sébastien Loeb had a long weekend, including time lost with spin, getting caught in a snow bank and punctures, and had to push hard on Sunday to overtake Henning Solberg for sixth place. But he retains his lead in the championship thanks to his best time on the Power Stage. Patrik Sandell was the only Mini to finish in the points, after the engine in Dani Sordo’s JCW WRC gave out on day one. The Sweden gave his countryman something to cheer for with an eighth place showing. Martin Prokop scored points for a second consecutive round in taking ninth, while Eyvind Brynildsen scored a world championship point in his maiden WRC outing.

POWER STAGE
1 Loeb 3pts
2 P. Solberg 2pts
3 Latvala 1pt

TOP TEN
1 Latvala
2 Hirvonen +16.6s
3 Ostberg +38.8s
4 P. Solberg +1:14.3s
5 Novikov +2:41.4s
6 Loeb +2:55.0s
7 H. Solberg +3:49.5s
8 Sandell+5:08.9s
9 Prokop +5:30.0s
10 Brynildsen +6:27.1s

DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP
1Loeb 39 points
2 Hirvonen 32
3 P. Solberg 29
4 Latvala 26
5 Novikov 21
6 Sordo 18
7 Ostberg 15
8 Delecour 8
9 Campana 6
= H. Solberg 6 

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Loeb triumphs on Monte-Carlo


Sébastien Loeb never turned a wheel wrong over the five days taking Rally Monte-Carlo to score his 68th WRC victory. The eight-time world champion capped off a perfect week with the Power Stage win and a maximum 28 points.

Controlled aggression, brilliant tyre choices, experience and a blindingly fast DS3 WRC combined to show why the Frenchman is in a league of his own. And there’s no better way to get his campaign for a ninth title than victory on the hardest round on the calendar. "It is always great to start the season like this, especially in Monte-Carlo”, said the victor. "Taking maximum points in the first rally is perfect. Monte-Carlo is my rally!”

Following Loeb in the Power Stage was Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen with second best time and Russian Evgeny Novikov.
Mini’s return to the Principality had those old enough to remember harking nostalgic for the makes golden era of the 1960’s when it won the event on three occasions. Dani Sordo came up with the goods and was rewarded with the 18 championship points going to the runner-up.

The last man to have won a world crown prior to Loeb, Petter Solberg was beaming from the first test at Le Moulinon - Antraigues through to the Power Stage at Ste Agnes - Col de la Madone. The Norwegian was gushing with praise for his 2012 machine. "I never dreamed of having a car as good as this, and to be able to attack on the stages like I have is unbelievable",” exclaimed Solberg.

Mikko Hirvonen struggled to find pace early in the week, but when the conditions were dry and team-mate Loeb was comfortably in the lead, the Finn showed promise setting three consecutive best times from late Friday and early Saturday to take fourth place.

Evgeny Novikov drove steady on his first go on the rally and brought his Fiesta home with a respectable fifth place. Winner of the 1994 edition, Francois Delecour turned heads with sixth place and showed just how fit and focused he is when he lost power steering and then radio communications with his co-driver but still ran at the sharp end of the order on the stages above Monaco on Saturday. And the near 50-year old Delecour even handed the driving duties on the Power Stage over to co-driver Dominique Savignoni, who is retiring after the event.

The top ten was completed by up and coming Frenchman Pierre Campana in the second Pro Drive Mini. Campana was followed by Estonian Ott Tanak, the Czech Republic’s Martin Prokop in privateer Fords and Portugal’s Armind Araujo, making it three Minis in the points.   

FINAL TOP¨TEN
1Loeb
2 Sordo +2:45.5s
3 P. Solberg + 3:14.2s
4 Hirvonen +4:06.8s
5 Novikov+6:03.4s
6 Delecour+7:47.9s
7 Campana+8:31.4s
8 Tanak+10:34.7s
9 Prokop +16:10.7s
10 Araujo+16:16.6s 

POWER STAGE
1 Sébastien Loeb 3points
2 Mikko Hirvonen 2
3 Evgeny Novikov 1

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Latvala and Solberg with Ford in 2012

Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg will contest the World Rally Championship for the Ford factory team in 2012. Ford has extended its association with M-Sport in the WRC for a further two years.
Ford has confirmed that its presence in rallying will continue for two more years in association with Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport. It is almost certain that Abu Dhabi will no longer be a partner of the team, however.

The 2012 world championship will see two Ford Fiesta RS WRCs contest the series in the hands of Finn Jari-Matti Latvala and Norway’s Petter Solberg. The latter got his first drive in the car this morning in France’s Ardèche Mountains.
“The WRC is motorsport’s toughest competition for production-based cars,” says Gerard Quinn, Ford Europe’s Manager Motorsport. “Through WRC, we can convey the attributes of our road vehicles and send a clear message to our customers and fans about Ford’s passion and expertise.
“We feel that the timing for our announcement is right.  We had to be confident about the stability of the championship and to ensure it continues to provide great value and increased exposure globally.  We discussed it with our stakeholders and after receiving such assurances we look forward to focusing on competition once again.
“We have a great team with M-Sport and its leader, Malcolm Wilson. And in Jari-Matti Latvala we have one of motorsport’s rising stars. We believe he will flourish in his new role as Ford’s team leader. Petter Solberg will bring real added value to the squad thanks to his record which includes a world title and 13 world class wins.”

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Best of Rally 2011

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Jari-Matti Latvala takes Wales Rally GB win


Jari-Matti Latvala battled all weekend to take his 5th career WRC triumph.

When Mikko Hirvonen retired from the final round of the season on day 2, Ford team mate Latvala was free to race Sébastien Loeb for the win. The Finn was on top form and defeated the eight-time world champion on merit. The drama came to an end when Loeb was involved in a road accident with a Spanish spectator who panicked when he came face to face with the Frenchman and turned the wrong direction, damaging the Citroen DS3 WRC beyond repair.

After playing ideal team mate to Hirvonen on the final rounds of the year, Latvala, fourth in points, but clearly the stronger of the Ford duo this season picked up his first victory since Sardinia in 2009.  “This is a great feeling, it has been a long time since I won a rally”, said an overjoyed Latvala. “It has been a very difficult season and it is great to win the last round of the year. We are going to go for the title next year, in a Ford!”.

Mads Ostberg held his ailing Focus RS WRC together to come runner-up in a spirited drive that does his future plenty of good. The promising Norwegian bookend his year with a second place in the opener in Sweden and of course here in Wales in the finale. The only real battle on Sunday was between Kris Meeke and Henning Solberg for the final spot on the podium with the Norwegian getting nod, his first top three result since Poland 2009.

Matthew Wilson ran a discreet but steady rally on his home event to end the year with a top five result. Following Wilson was the mightily impressive Estonian, Ott Tanak on the DMACK shod Ford. Evgeny Novikov nursed his Ford home and managed to get past Dennis Kuipers late in the running for seventh place. American internet sensation brought his season to a conclusion with a clean run and ninth place ahead of Armindo Araujo in a privateer Mini JCW.

TOP TEN FINAL
1 Latvala
2 Ostberg+3:42.9s
3 H. Solberg+7:05.1s
4 Meeke +7:12.3s
5 Wilson+8:57.3s
6 Tanak+9:27.1s
7 Novikov+9:47.7s
8 Kuipers+10:12.7s
9 Block+16:01.2s
10 Araujo+17:01.6s

POWER STAGE
1 Ogier 3pts
2 Sordo 1
3 Latvala 1

FIA DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Loeb 222 points
2 Hirvonen 214
3 Ogier 196
4 Latvala 172
5 P. Solberg 110
6 Ostberg 88
7 Wilson 63
8 Sordo 59
9 H. Solberg 56
10 Raikkonen 34

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Ogier wins in France

Sebastien Ogier, in a Citroen DS3 WRC, has won Rallye de France Alsace for the first time following a nail-biting finish to the world championship qualifier near Strasbourg this afternoon.

Ogier fended off the MINI John Cooper Works WRC of Spaniard Dani Sordo on the event-closing Power Stage in Sebastien Loeb’s hometown of Haguenau. The seven time-world champion wasn’t in action following his retirement on Friday morning when his factory Citroen suffered a rare engine failure.
Victory for Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia marked their fifth triumph of 2011 following wins in Portugal, Jordan, Greece and Germany earlier in the campaign. The result also puts Ogier back into contention for the drivers’ world title with two events remaining.
Petter Solberg, in a privateer Citroen, finished third with Mikko Hirvonen the first factory Ford driver home in fourth to maintain his championship bid.

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