WRC France: Sebastien Ogier takes lead, Sebastien Loeb crashes out
Sebastien Ogier now leads the Rally of France, while compatriot Sebastien Loeb's final event ended in disappointment after he crashed out on the first of the last day's stages

Heavy overnight rain made the opening Vignoble de Cleebourg a tricky test, with standing water and mud on several critical corners requiring the drivers to adopt a more cautious approach.
Running fourth on the road, Loeb slid off while tackling a long right-hander during an early section of the stage and subsequently rolled his Citroen DS3 WRC into a ditch.
The nine-time champion and co-driver Daniel Elena came away unscathed, but the accident brought an end to their last planned rally and dashed any hopes for a final hometown success.
Ogier, meanwhile, put in a stunning time through the same stage and finished 14.5 seconds ahead of Volkswagen team-mate and overnight leader Jari-Matti Latvala to take control of the rally.
The newly-crowned champion then went on to post the quickest times through the streets of Bischwiller and the last of the morning's stages in Hagueanu to extend his overall lead to 13.7s.
Dani Sordo is currently Ogier's nearest rival but has been unable to mount a proper challenge as the Citroen driver has been hampered by running first and clearing any standing water for those behind.
Latvala fell to third after the first stage of the day and has been carefully treading his way through the loop.
Loeb's misfortune has promoted erstwhile rally leader Thierry Neuville up to fourth overall. The Belgian showed a good turn of speed during the morning to keep Ogier honest on stage pace.
Evegeny Novikov continues to trail Neuville by over a minute while Mads Ostberg is beginning to reel in his Russian rival as the gap to fifth is now 20.6s, this despite Ostberg suffering brake issues on the final stage of the morning.
Mikko Hirvonen is 3m24.9s off the lead in seventh, but did find his form on Hagueanu when he finished just 0.3s behind the pacesetting Ogier.
Rober Kubica is in a perfect position to reclaim the WRC 2 series lead from the absent Abdulaziz Al Kuwari as he enjoys a 3m49.2s advantage over Elfyn Evans at the moment.
Leading positions after SS17: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Sebastien Ogier Volkswagen 2h35m58.3s 2. Dani Sordo Citroen +13.7s 3. Jari-Matti Latvala Volkswagen +17.1s 4. Thierry Neuville M-Sport Ford +1m21.2s 5. Evegeny Novikov M-Sport Ford +2m58.8s 6. Mads Ostberg M-Sport Ford +3m19.4s 7. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen +3m24.9s 8. Andreas Mikkelsen Volkswagen +4m00.4s 9. Robert Kubica PH Citroen +8m58.0s 10. Romain Dumas Dumas M-Sport +10m50.0s

WRC France: Jari-Matti Latvala moves into the lead
WRC France: Sebastien Loeb apologises to fans after crash

Why WRC's Safari tour is more than just a rally
OPINION: A source of national pride in Kenya, the Safari Rally is also a sporting, cultural and economic phenomenon. And as last weekend's World Rally Championship round reminded us, it's a key driver in establishing Africa’s place in world motorsport
How Rovanpera tamed a wild Safari Rally
The Safari Rally acted as a brutal test of driver and car resolve as multiple retirements opened the path for a historic Toyota 1-2-3-4 triumph, headed by star Kalle Rovanpera. But keeping things clean was only half of the challenge, as a well-timed charge when conditions worsened allowed the Finn to take control
How Tanak turned the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph
The 2019 champion has been a bit-part player recently, but Ott Tanak ended a 15-month drought in fine style with a dominant win in Sardinia. On a weekend when championship leader Kalle Rovanpera struggled with cleaning the road, his Hyundai rival has made his belated arrival into the title race and given cause for those predicting a walkover from the Toyota star to pause
How Rovanpera overcame rallying royalty in Portugal to extend his WRC lead
Although the Rally Portugal entry list featured World Rally Championship royalty in Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier, victory was secured by rallying's rising star in Kalle Rovanpera. Here's the story of his 2022 hat-trick, as his key rivals faltered among the gravel and asphalt ahead of them
The former WRC star playing the unsung hero role for Rovanpera
Kalle Rovanpera’s 2022 World Rally Championship displays have been spectacular, with the Toyota driver benefitting from a secret weapon in his crew to win two of the opening three rallies. But while the former challenger to Sebastien Loeb won’t take credit for his fellow Finn's performances, a key bond has been formed which could prove key to Rovanpera’s title charge
How Rovanpera's Croatia turnaround sent a message to his WRC rivals
After a dominating Rally Croatia, a wrong tyre choice on the final day looked to have undone all Kalle Rovanpera's hard work and left him with a mountain to climb heading into the power stage. That he emerged the winner all the same has surely quelled any lingering doubts that the Finn is the man to beat in the 2022 WRC
How M-Sport's faith in Loubet led to a WRC reprieve after a dismal 2021
It's fair to say 2021 was a year to forget for Pierre-Louis Loubet. A maiden full World Rally Championship season offered hope but soon turned into a nightmare that ended in hospital, after being hit by a car in a road traffic accident. Now handed a lifeline by M-Sport, the Frenchman is desperate to rebuild his career
Why WRC mechanics deserve more respect
The drivers get the glare of attention, but it’s the mechanics who are key to the operation of any World Rally Championship car. Autosport donned a set of overalls and joined M-Sport on a Belgian national rally event to get an inside look into the trials and tribulations of a rally mechanic