Sebastien Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia are the winners of this year’s Rallye de France. The Volkswagen Polo R drivers finished the event in first place today, marking their fourth win of the season and ultimately extending their championship lead. The duo finished the event 46.4s clear of second place finishers – Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul in a Hyundai i20 WRC.
Third place on the podium went to Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jaeger in another VW Polo R WRC to extend VW’s lead in the team’s standings. Ogier now leads the championship with a 68 points advantage over teammate Mikkelsen, Neuville is third.
The final day saw drivers take a risk-free approach on the two stages. It was the shortest route of the event but the first stage was the longest, measuring 53.7 km. Overnight rains forced the drivers to drive extra careful, and Ogier was only sixth but his 46.5s was good enough to keep him ahead. He finished the Power Stage in third and was awarded 1 point for that, other rally leaders – Mikkelsen and Neuville – also utilized a similar risk free approach today.
Elsewhere, Jari-Matti Latvala finished fourth in his VW Polo R WRC. His weekend was full of trouble caused by braking difficulties. ERC driver Craig Breen took part in his first ever Tour de Corse in a WRC car this weekend, and while he was using notes from last year, the Irish driver still managed to finish the event in fifth driving a Citroen DS3.
Hyundai i20 WRC teammates Hayden Paddon and Dani Sordo finished sixth and seventh respectively. Eric Camilli, Mads Ostberg and Ott Tanak filled P8, P9 and P10 respectively with their Ford Fiesta RS cars. Elfyn Evans won the ERC2 category while Simone Tempestini and co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini claimed the 2016 title in the Junior Championship category.
The next round, Rallye de Spain will take place on October 13-16.
