SYDNEY: World champion Sebastien Ogier took another big step towards retaining his title when he won the Australian round of the world rally championship in the seaside resort of Coffs Harbour for the second year in a row yesterday.
The 30-year-old held off Volkswagen teammate Jari-Matti Latvala by 6.8 seconds to extend his lead over the Finn in the title race to 50 points with only 75, plus bonuses, up for grabs over the last three rounds in France, Spain and Britain.
It was the sixth victory of the season and the 22nd of Ogier's career and, with Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen finishing third in another Volkswagen, helped secure a second consecutive manufacturers' title for the German marque.
The rare podium sweep was particularly pleasing for Ogier after he and Latvala had both crashed out of the last round in Germany.
“Fantastic,” Ogier, who has 214 points to Latvala’s 164, said in a TV interview after leaping out of his car at the end of the 20th and final stage.
The French round of the championship takes place on asphalt around Strasbourg in Alsace from Oct 3-5. Reuters