Sebastien Ogier wins 2013 Rally Australia

Volkswagen ace Sebastien Ogier enjoyed a commanding weekend around Coffs Harbour winning 19 of 22 stages on his way to a dominant Rally Australia victory. It’s his sixth win of the year and came within a whisker of confirming his maiden world championship.

In order for Ogier to claim the title in Australia he needed to finish nine points or more ahead of Ford’s Thierry Neuville. And for much of the event, with Neuville in third place out of Mikko Hirvonen’s reach in second place, the stars seemed aligned for Ogier.

However, Hirvonen’s Citroën suffered a puncture on the final stage and cost him enough time to promote Neuville into second place. It was rotten luck for Hirvonen who has endured a difficult year. He is a three-time winner of Rally Australia and was enjoying a good rally and looked set for a comfortable second place.

The mathematical chance for Neuville to upset Ogier now hangs on by a single point, although most now expect Ogier will have the luxury of confirming his world title in front of his home crowd in next month’s Rally de France-Alsace.

Elsewhere in the field Jari-Matti Latvala suffered a puncture to his Polo R WRC on the opening day which put him out of contention. He was able to earn some decent points for Volkswagen in the manufacturers’ championship, though, coming home in fourth place. Young Volkswagen driver Andreas Mikkelsen put his name in the spotlight ending Day 1 in the lead of the event. His inexperience showed and he finished the race in sixth place.

For Citroën it had subbed out Rally Germany winner Dani Sordo for Kris Meeke. In the early stages Meeke was repaying that faith on the difficult Australian gravel running well and looking secure in third place. On Day 2 a small mistake sent Meeke down a steep embankment and his car rolled several times. The Citroën crew did an amazing job to rebuild the car overnight and Meeke was able to rejoin the rally on the final day. Unfortunately he made another error and ripped the right rear suspension from his car. The 34-year-old Irishman cut a forlorn figure at rally’s end.

A quick shout out too for Coffs Harbour local Nathan Quinn who was competing in a Motorsport Italia MINI JCW WRC and brought it home in one piece in eighth place collecting four world championship points.

Photos, videos and official press statements from both Volkswagen and Citröen are all yours after the break.

Perfect performance: Volkswagen driver Sébastien Ogier wins in Australia

Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia won 19 Special Stages, bagged the maximum number of points and came within reach of the World Championship title. The two Frenchmen put in the performance of their lives and celebrated their sixth win this season in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). However, a sporting drama unfolded in the very last minute of round ten Down Under. Two of the duo’s competitors had punctures in the last 15 kilometres of the Power Stage, which prevented Ogier/Ingrassia from claiming the title – although the Volkswagen pair didn’t put a foot wrong. In the end, they were just one point short of securing the crown. Ogier/Ingrassia will go into the next round in France 83 points ahead of their closest rival, Thierry Neuville (Ford).

In the second Polo R WRC, Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) notched up important points for Volkswagen in the Manufacturers’ Championship by coming fourth. Andreas Mikkelsen/Paul Nagle (N/IRL) finished the Rally Australia in sixth place overall.

Dominant Down Under – Ogier/Ingrassia unstoppable

22 Special Stages, 19 best times and second place twice – Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia put in their best performance of the season so far in Australia, giving them this season’s most overwhelming victory. Even more impressively, Ogier/Ingrassia were just 1.8 seconds shy of the ideal combination of all best times. The teams faced wide-ranging conditions in Australia: the first day was hallmarked by technical, narrow, winding sections, day two’s Stages passed through more open countryside, and the third day of rallying was all about extremely fast sections through the rainforest.

Drama, drama, drama – title clincher postponed again

The Power Stage in Oz could have decided the World Championship title – but it didn’t. Extra points were awarded to the three fastest teams on the final “Shipmans” Stage with its spectacular watersplash. 15 kilometres before the end of the almost 30-kilometre Stage, events came thick and fast. First of all, a puncture halted Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila’s attempt to collect an extra three points for best time. Then Mikko Hirvonen’s Citroën also got a puncture, which ultimately stopped Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia from sewing up the title. Hirvonen was forced out of second place overall by Thierry Neuville, who now still has a mathematical chance to become World Champion.

Volkswagen leaps forward in the Manufacturers’ Championship

The Rally Australia couldn’t have gone much better for Volkswagen in terms of the WRC Manufacturers’ Championship either – thanks to Ogier’s win and fourth place for Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), who racked up important points in the second Polo R WRC. Despite a disappointing qualifying session, the Finnish pair fought their way up the overall standings bit by bit as the rally progressed. As a result, Volkswagen extended its lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship by 22 points to 48. Latvala/Anttila won one of the Special Stages and finished in the top three a further ten times.

Andreas Mikkelsen led temporarily and finished in sixth, collecting valuable points

Andreas Mikkelsen/Paul Nagle (N/IRL) made a great impression during their debut in Australia. The very first Special Stage went to the duo in the Polo R WRC with the number nine. Mikkelsen/Nagle finished the first day of rallying – Thursday – in the lead. Several little mistakes meant that the duo fell behind on Friday though before fighting their way back in the overall standings on Saturday. On Sunday, Mikkelsen/Nagle cleverly defended their position, which indirectly helped Volkswagen to further extend its lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

Quotes following day four of the Rally Australia

Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #7
“Right from the start, we were aiming to collect as many points as possible for the Manufacturers’ Championship, and we succeeded. However, things didn’t go quite as smoothly as we would have liked – the car span and we had a puncture too right at the end. For me, the rally felt a bit like we were struggling through the desert before finally arriving in Dakar at the end. But all that matters ultimately is the result, and it was a good one for Volkswagen. On another positive note, I found my Polo’s perfect set-up for fast gravel rallies here, which will come in very handy for other rallies.”

Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #8
“What a crazy end to the rally! Of course I’m pleased to have won here in Australia, but it’s pretty disappointing to be on course to win the World Championship title the whole time and then lose it again in the last kilometre. Apart from that, it was a fantastic rally for us Down Under. We won 19 of the 22 Special Stages and collected three points in the Power Stage too. The Polo R WRC worked perfectly throughout the weekend, the team did a great job – but in the end we just weren’t quite lucky enough to make the dream of winning the crown come true today. We’re going to celebrate in style afterwards all the same. And when tomorrow comes, I’ll start looking forward to my home rally and the fans in France. I want to clinch the title there by winning and take my team a big step closer to winning the Manufacturers’ Championship.”

Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“The Rally Australia had its ups and downs for me. On Thursday, I had a chance to savour the feeling of leading in a World Championship rally for the first time. Friday got off to a great start, but little mistakes cost us a lot of time. I had to pay for them again on Saturday as one of the first World Rally Cars on the track. And Sunday? I did all I could to get the car over the line and help the team in the Manufacturer’s Championship. That meant going into ‘cruise mode’ and not going on the attack. I’m sure it would have been more fun if we’d done things differently. All in all, we’re really pleased with sixth place though. It was a good debut at the Rally Australia for us, and it was great working with my co-driver Paul Nagle, who stepped in for my usual partner Mikko Markkula at short notice.”

Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
“The Rally Australia became really dramatic in the last few kilometres. From the point of view of the Manufacturers’ Championship, everything that happened in the Power Stage was good for Volkswagen. Unfortunately, it also meant that Sébastien Ogier was unable to clinch the title early. He did a fantastic job, won more convincingly than at any other event this season, and did everything right. He would’ve deserved to go away as World Rally Champion today, but the decider will have to wait. Now he’s got the opportunity to seize the title once and for all at his home rally in France. The whole team will support him unconditionally. The battle for the WRC Manufacturers’ Championship will enter its next phase in France too. Thanks to Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen, we’re in a better position on that front than we were before the Rally Australia. We’re really happy – even though the icing on the cake is missing.”

And then there was …

… Sven Smeets. Before the Belgian started his team management career which took him to Volkswagen Motorsport, he was a successful World Rally Championship co-driver. Smeets celebrated his only round win in the ultimate motorsport discipline in Australia back in 2005.

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Australia – final results

1. Sébastien Ogier/Julian Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen 3h 19m 55.0s
2. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Ford + 1m 32.1s
3. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN/FIN), Citroën + 2m 02.1s
4. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miika Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen + 2m 57.4s
5. Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson (N/S), Ford + 3m 17.2s
6. Andreas Mikkelesen/Paul Nagle (N/IRL), Volkswagen + 3m 37.6s
7. Evgeny Novikov/Ilka Minor (RUS/A), Ford + 7m 31.2s
8. Nathan Quinn/David Green (AUS/AUS), Mini + 13m 10.2s
9. Khalid Al Qassimi/Scott Martin (UAE/GB), Citroën + 15m 17.6s
10. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari/Killian Duffy (Q/IRL), Ford + 17m 27.7s

FIA World Rally Championshio (WRC), Rally Australia – results powerstage

1. Sébastien Ogier/Julian Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen 14m 44.9s
2. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Ford + 2.8s
3. Evgeny Novikov/Ilka Minor (RUS/A), Ford + 9.4s

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), points standings – Drivers’ classification

1. Sébastien Ogier – 212
2. Thierry Neuville – 129
3. Jari-Matti Latvala – 110
4. Mikko Hirvonen – 103
5. Dani Sordo – 96
6. Mads Østberg – 77
7. Sébastien Loeb – 68
8. Martin Prokop – 49
9. Evgeny Novikov – 47
10. Andreas Mikkelsen – 34

Manufacturers’ classification

1. Volkswagen Motorsport – 299
2. Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT – 251
3. Qatar WRT – 145
4. Qatar M-Sport WRT – 142
5. Jipocar Czech National Team – 51
6. Abu Dhabi Citroën Total WRT – 41
7. Volkswagen Motorsport II – 34
8. Lotos WRC Team – 20

 

Mikko salvages podium sport

Second just a few kilometres from the end, Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished Rally Australia third overall after picking up an inexplicable puncture at the death.

Despite the high stakes, the final leg of Rally Australia did not look like it would provide for especially exciting racing, given the clear gaps between the frontrunners. The day’s three stages – all very fast – were run twice and the second pass on Shipmans (SS22) served as the Power Stage.

At the end of Bucca 1 (SS17), Mikko Hirvonen was pleased to have begun the day by setting the fastest time. The Finn thus ended the series of stage wins racked up by Sébastien Ogier. “It’s always nice to be the fastest, but no-one is really pushing that hard this morning,” played down the Citroën driver. “We’re all checking the split times of the others whilst we’re driving. Everything is good with the car; we want to make sure of this second place.”

After going off the road on day two, Kris Meeke rejoined the rally this morning. In accordance with the Rally2 regulations, the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s eight mechanics had rebuilt his DS3 WRC in less than three hours. First on the road, the Northern Irishman took no risks during the morning. “It was something special to see my car repaired in parc fermé. The team did an incredible job and everything is working perfectly again. It’s very difficult to carve out the line for the other guys; I don’t think there’s another rally where road position is so important. I can’t go for any really fast times, but I’m just pleased to be back behind the wheel.”

The race progressed quietly until the Power Stage, which had the possibility of deciding the outcome of the drivers’ world championship. Although Kris Meeke made it across the finishing line, his car only had three wheels left. The British driver was once again forced to retire and was therefore not classified in the overall standings. His misfortune triggered a series of incidents that didn’t work out very well for the Citroën camp.

Half-way through the stage, Mikko Hirvonen was forced to slow down after picking up a puncture. The Finn conceded almost a minute, losing second place in the process to Thierry Neuville! “It’s just unbelievable. I wasn’t taking any risks, because the bonus points from the Power Stage don’t count towards the Manufacturers’ standings. I was driving in the middle of the road, without pushing. I really cannot say where the puncture came from, especially as the tyre blew up on a long straight section. I can’t seem to shake off my run of bad luck this season,” said a rather disheartened Finn at the stop control.

Whilst sharing the sense of disappointment with the rest of the Citroën Racing team, Khalid Al-Qassimi assessed his own race, in which he finished ninth overall: “It was another difficult day, especially because of the sweeping. I felt there was more progression on the stages today, insofar as I managed to differentiate between the points at which I could push and those where I had to manage my pace in order not to make any mistakes. I enjoyed driving the car.”