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Rally
Ogier becomes triple champ after Australia win
Both Sébastien Ogier and his Volkswagen team claim their third consecutive WRC titles Down Under.
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Ogier took his third title
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“This is the best season that I’ve ever done,” said an emotional Ogier after celebrating on the roof of his Volkswagen Polo R WRC. “No mistakes, so many great performances and I think this one…it’s the most difficult rally to open the road on, and still we managed to win it, so it’s the perfect way to get the third world title.”
Latvala ended the rally in second, 12.3 seconds behind Ogier, with Meeke third, Mikkelsen fourth – although the Norwegian would have completed a VW one-two-three had he not received a 10-second penalty for a late check-in – and Paddon an impressive fifth.
Ogier, Ingrassia and Volkswagen all claimed titles
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Stéphane Lefebvre was a late draft into the DS 3
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Meanwhile, Ogier and Latvala’s efforts in the championship this season helped Volkswagen secure their third straight Manufacturers’ title in Australia, sealing an incredible weekend for the team, while Julien Ingrassia also claimed the Co-drivers' title.
Here are the main stories from Rally Australia 2015…
Ogier on top of the world…again
Ogier joins an elite class of triple champions
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Juha Kankkunen, Tommi Mäkinen, Sébastien Loeb…and now Sébastien Ogier. These are the only four men in World Rally Championship history to have reached the heights of three world titles, with only three of those drivers managing three in a row.
To say that Ogier has been the class of the field in 2015 would be a gross understatement. Hampered by the 2015 rules that see the championship leader run first on the road for the first two days of the rally, Ogier has kept his head down, kept his focus – and an incredible third title is his reward.
And as if the win and the title in Australia weren’t enough, this weekend Ogier quietly became the second most successful WRC driver of all time, slipping ahead of Marcus Grönholm in the all-time winners' list with the 31st victory of his career
Volkswagen make it three out of three
Volkswagen took the Manufacturers' title
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On the three rallies that Sébastien Ogier hasn’t won in 2015, his Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala has taken the spoils twice, with the pair’s efforts seeing Volkswagen take their third Manufacturers’ title in the three years since they returned to the World Rally Championship. Hyundai, M-Sport and Citroën have a long winter ahead of them to work out how to beat the all-conquering German squad…
Tight fight in Oz
Dani Sordo was the early rally leader
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Rally Australia was one of the best fights we’ve seen all year in the WRC, with four different drivers leading the rally at various points. Dani Sordo was the initial pacesetter on Friday, taking three stage wins on his Australian debut, while Jari-Matti Latvala, Kris Meeke and Sébastien Ogier all took turns at the top of the timing boards. By Stage 10, the top five drivers were separated by just 9.3 seconds – although that gap increased as Ogier put the gas down.
Meeke not mild
Kris Meeke showed great pace all weekend
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Fighting to keep his Citroën seat for 2016, Kris Meeke needed to turn his raw pace into points in Rally Australia after a difficult run of results recently. The Northern Irishman did just that, taking risks when he needed to, throttling back when it was sensible, and claiming his second podium of the season – the first being his unexpected victory in Argentina.
The title has to wait for Latvala
Latvala couldn't quite match Ogier in Australia
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Jari-Matti Latvala has run Ogier close all season, and it was once again the Volkswagen with the number two on the door that gave Ogier the most problems at Rally Australia. Sadly, we’re going to have to wait another season to see if Latvala can put together an Ogier-besting championship season – but it’s an exciting prospect…
Stéphane Lefebvre steps up to the plate
In a bizarre and frightening incident, Citroën’s Mads Østberg’s rally was over before it even began, with the Norwegian hospitalised after hitting a truck that had managed to get onto one of the stages during the recce.
With Østberg suffering damaged ribs, Frenchman Stéphane Lefebvre, brought to Australia only to do the recce, was given the nod to drive Østberg’s DS 3 after his first run in a top-level WRC car last time out in Rally Germany. Wearing Kris Meeke’s co-driver Paul Nagle’s overalls, Lefebvre drove a sensible rally, overcoming broken suspension to finish tenth.
And with Citroën team principal Yves Matton set to make his decision soon on his driver line-up for 2016, Østberg will be hoping that Lefebvre doesn’t get to comfortable in his car…
Musical chairs at Hyundai
Paddon showed top-running pace again
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With Dani Sordo acknowledged as a tarmac expert, his Hyundai stable-mate Hayden Paddon was promoted to the top team alongside Thierry Neuville for the gravel of Rally Australia. Sordo’s three stage wins on Friday morning were an impressive rebuttal, but mechanical problems eventually saw the Spaniard drop down the order, while Paddon again showed a great turn of speed to finish fifth.
Al-Attiyah storms WRC2
Nasser Al-Attiyah blitzed WRC2
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Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah was unstoppable in WRC2, claiming his third win of the season in the category to extend his points lead from Finn Esapekka Lappi. Trading his Škoda Fabia R5 for his old Ford Fiesta RRC for this rally, Al-Attiyah took the win in the second tier category by 13.5 seconds from a hard-charging Yuriy Protasov.
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