Sebastien Ogier ended the 2014 WRC season in style after winning the Wales Rally GB which was the season finale. He took home a total of eight wins from the season with the championship in hand too. He throttled through the muddy forest leading from start to finish in his VW Polo R WRC and won by 37.6 seconds.
Second place went to Mikko Hirvonen who after 13 years of rallying ended his career with an emotional podium finish. He fought hard to keep away a very fast Kris Meeke. Luckily for him, Meeke lost two tyres to a puncture incident after driving into a ditch. Mads Østberg was drooling for third position behind the fighting duo and when Meeke suffered the puncture, Ostberg took advantage and finished in third place.
An excited Ogier said, “It’s the best way to finish the season and it was my target. We started flat-out on Friday and made an incredible day – there was a big difference to everyone else. My rally changed when Jari-Matti made a mistake and I had control and could ease my pace.
“It wasn’t the most fun way to drive, but in the slippery conditions I had to do it. It was the best way to get the win”
Jari-Matti Latvala was rallying hard against Ogier on Friday but he lost three good minutes on Saturday morning after sliding into a ditch. He never recovered fully from that incident and as a result he finished in eighth place overall. Thierry Neuville finished in fourth in a Hyundai i20 while local hero Elfyn Evans finished in fifth place in a Ford Fiesta RS.
Speaking about his final WRC race, Hirvonen said, “I couldn’t have planned a better way to end my career. It was a fantastic fight all weekend, one of the most enjoyable of my career. It was an amazing weekend and I’m looking forward to keeping all my memories from the last 13 years and taking them home with me.”
Ogier finished the season with a total of 242 points against 211 from teammate Latvala automatically giving Volkswagen a clear win in the manufacturers’ category. Hirvonen retired with 108 points and was ranked fourth this season.
Video Highlights
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKkTl9GoseM[/youtube]
Overall Results