WRC Rally GB: Sebastien Ogier on brink of win in Wales
Sebastien Ogier remains on course for his maiden Rally GB victory after Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala failed to make a significant dent in the world champion's advantage on Sunday morning
Ogier tightened his grip on the rally by going quickest through the first stage in Dyfnant, at 13.23 miles the longest of the day by far.
From there he simply managed the gap to Latvala, who complained of increased understeer in his VW Polo.
Ogier heads into the final round of stages with a 26 second lead at the top of the standings after Latvala dropped more time by stalling on SS19.
Thierry Neuville dropped a handful of seconds with a mistaken pacenote in SS18, but remains on course to complete the podium in his final rally with the M-Sport Ford Fiesta before he leaves to head up Hyundai's new World Rally Championship programme.
He capped a fine morning's work by winning the powerstage at Clocaenog by 0.5s from Evgeny Novikov and Mads Ostberg.
Andreas Mikkelsen headed into the final day hoping to close down Neuville and make it a VW podium lockout in the final rally of the season, but a spin on SS17 dropped him into a tight fight with Ostberg for fourth.
Ostberg set the fastest time of all through SS18 and led Mikkelsen by just 1.9s heading into SS19, but Mikkelsen damaged his Polo against a bank on the powerstage and dropped almost 16s to his Norwegian rival.
Martin Prokop's Ford Fiesta comfortably heads Citroen's Dani Sordo in rounding out the top six, while local hero Elfyn Evans still holds a comfortable lead over Jari Ketomaa in the battle to be best of the WRC2 runners.
Leading positions after SS19: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Sebastien Ogier VW 2h57m47.6s 2. Jari-Matti Latvala VW +26.0s 3. Thierry Neuville M-Sport Ford +1m18.8s 4. Mads Ostberg M-Sport Ford +1m38.5s 5. Andreas Mikkelsen VW +1m56.0s 6. Martin Prokop Czech Ford +7m19.2s 7. Dani Sordo Citroen +8m17.2s 8. Elfyn Evans M-Sport Ford +10m44.2s* 9. Jari Ketomaa Autotek Ford +11m47.3s* 10. Mark Higgins Symtech Ford +12m46.1s* * WRC2 Leading powerstage results: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Thierry Neuville M-Sport Ford 4m18.0s 2. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford +0.5s 3. Mads Ostberg M-Sport Ford +0.5s 4. Sebastien Ogier VW +1.1s 5. Jari-Matti Latvala VW +7.6s
Rally GB: Robert Kubica retires after second accident
WRC Rally GB: Sebastien Ogier ends VW's dominant year with victory
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
The African McRae aiming to become a WRC pioneer
Taking his first step into the Junior World Rally Championship category, McRae Kimathi - named after 1995 world champion Colin - found himself in the unfamiliar climes of Sweden's snow and ice. Having impressed, Kimathi hopes to blaze a trail to the top level of WRC and help other African drivers to step onto the ladder
How Rovanpera grabbed the Rally Sweden spotlight after the Loeb vs Ogier show
After a blockbuster opening act to the new era of the World Rally Championship with the battle of the Sebastiens at Monte Carlo, Rally Sweden would be the first chance to assess the next superstar of rallying. While teething issues with the new hybrid power thwarted some of the cast, Kalle Rovanpera’s display gave him headline billing