Ogier rounds out WRC season in style

Sebastien Ogier underlined his dominance of the 2014 World Rally Championship with his eighth win of the season with victory at Wales Rally GB.

On the 13th round of the title chase, he mastered the muddy forest tracks to lead the three-day event from start-to-finish in a Volkswagen Polo R, measuring his pace through the final two legs to win by 37.6sec.

Mikko Hirvonen claimed an emotional second place in his final rally before retirement after holding off Kris Meeke in a titanic battle. The pair fought tooth-and-nail until Meeke damaged two tyres after skidding into a ditch this morning and plunged to sixth.

It allowed Mads Østberg to take third in a Citroen DS3, the Norwegian finishing 26.0sec behind Hirvonen’s Fiesta RS.

Ogier fought with team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala through Friday’s opening leg. But when Latvala slid into a ditch and dropped three minutes yesterday morning, Ogier was handed a 70sec lead and throttled back in the treacherous conditions.

“It’s the best way to finish the season and it was my target,” said Ogier.

“We started flat-out on Friday and made an incredible day – there was a big difference to everyone else. My rally changed when Jari-Matti made a mistake and I had control and could ease my pace.

“It wasn’t the most fun way to drive, but in the slippery conditions I had to do it. It was the best way to get the win,” he added.

As popular as the win was for Ogier, there was also a special moment for Hirvonen by fighting all the way to second place.

“I couldn’t have planned a better way to end my career,” said Hirvonen.

“It was a fantastic fight all weekend, one of the most enjoyable of my career. It was an amazing weekend and I’m looking forward to keeping all my memories from the last 13 years and taking them home with me.”

Welshman Elfyn Evans delighted his home fans by relegating Meeke in the final stage to claim fifth in a Fiesta RS.

Estonian Ott Tänak survived a final day puncture to finish seventh in a Fiesta RS with a recovering Latvala, Martin Prokop and Hayden Paddon completing the leaderboard aboard his Hyundai.

With a solid campaign under his belt, the Kiwi is keen to show his potential in 2015.

“All in all, it’s been a successful campaign,” said Paddon.

“It’s put us in the spotlight, if you like, to maybe have a couple of options open for us for next season. That’s great moving forward so we’re really looking forward to next year. We know we can be more competitive when we come back.

“We’ve gained a lot of experience this year and that’s going to help us no end.”

Australia’s Molly Taylor completed a solid weekend fighting in her class to fourth and finishing 32nd overall.

VIDEO: Final day highlights

FINAL POSITIONS: Wales Rally GB