It's hard to remember a World Rally Championship season that enjoyed as much hype as the one just passed. But it's even harder to recall one that delivered so comprehensively.
When Volkswagen walked away from the WRC just over 12 months ago, the prophets of doom circled. We needn't have worried. Yes, the WRC misses the benchmark competition, not to mention the massive VW marketing effort, but the passing of the Polo helped blow this season wide open.
If there is an area of concern through what's been an exceptional year, it's the progression onwards from the lower categories. The Junior WRC, WRC3 and WRC2 categories need a major overhaul to bring back some meaning. Current WRC2 winner Pontus Tidemand has no top-class seat for next season and Nil Solans's rampant win in the Juniors meant very little against some fairly sketchy competition.