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WRC'14 Rally Australia Sept 11-14 talk/results spoiler **

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#1 ·
Rnd10 Rally Australia 11-14 Sept



History

Australia hosted WRC from 1989 to 2006 in the west coast city of Perth.
Langley Park super special stage next to Swan River provided the template for such tests.
Won the accolade for the best rally three times in the late 1990s.
The rally moved to the east coast in New South Wales in 2009 and two years later was relocated to Coffs Harbour in 2011.

What’s new for 2014

New mixed surface super special stage which will be run in darkness at the end of Friday and Saturday’s action.
Service park switches to the Cex Coffs International Stadium, which adjoins the super special stage.

Official Website: rallyaustralia.com.au/

Listen Live: wrc.com/live_popup_radio

WRC+ for €4.99 Euro : Live Stages/Live Maps/Onboard Action/Full Highlights plus.wrc.com/

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#3 ·
Meeke fastest at Australia shakedown



Briton Kris Meeke posted the fastest time at this morning’s Shakedown test for Coates Hire Rally Australia.

The Citroen DS3 driver was quickest by 0.4sec from his team-mate Mads Ostberg. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville was third, another 0.4sec further back.

The test took place on a 4.98km section of the Hydes Creek special stage on the outskirts of host town Coffs Harbour.

Meeke made three passes, setting his best time of 2m52.9 on his final run. “It felt comfortable and good,” he said. “This shakedown is a good representation of the rally. I adjusted a few settings between runs and I think we’re in the ball park with the set-up. We’ll see."

Conditions were warm and sunny throughout the session, but there was evidence of recent rain on the clay and gravel surface.

Meeke said: “Last year it was very, very dry and dusty, but there’s been a bit of rain in the the last two weeks and the road is still a bit humid in some sections under the trees. That can make some corners very slippery, so you have to be on your guard.

“There’s not as much dust around either - the gravel is a little more bound together. Still, I think road cleaning will be a big issue for the front-runners. I’m eighth on the road, and I’ll take that…”

Volkswagen driver Jari-Matti Latvala was fourth quickest, and said he was enjoying driving his Polo R again after crashing out of ADAC Rallye Deutschland. “The car felt really good, it’s nice to drive and I’m enjoying it,” he said. “The set-up is based on what we had in Finland, just a little softer. I’m happy.”

Championship leader Sebastien Ogier and Mikko Hirvonen were joint fifth-fastest.

The competitive action in Australia kicks off on Friday 12 September, with the opening Hydes Creek stage starting at 0918hrs local time [CET +8 hours].

click: wrc.com/news/shakedown-australia/



...:cool:
 
#4 · (Edited)
Friday
Early lead for Ogier in Australia




SS1 Hydes Creek 1 (10.73km)

The rally opener is a new stage but features 3km of roads used in the opposite direction last year. It’s technical with many surface changes, varying from mud to loose gravel and clay.

Sébastien Ogier surprised himself by setting the pace through this morning’s opening test at Coates Hire Rally Australia.

He outpaced team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen by 4.4sec, with Kris Meeke a further 1.2sec back in his Citroen DS3. “No problem for me. For sure I will not be fastest but it was a good stage,” Ogier told WRC Live.

Behind the top three it wasn’t all plain sailing, with Jari-Matti Latvala reporting brake problems in his Polo R. “They were very soft and I didn’t have any confidence. I have to try to bleed them to make them better because it was difficult to drive like this,” said the Finn, who was fifth behind Mikko Hirvonen.

Mads Østberg dropped almost 20sec in his DS3 after overshooting a corner near the finish. “I’m not sure what happened. There was nothing wrong with the pace notes but the car understeered and I couldn’t get into the corner. I had to turn around,” said the Norwegian.

Thierry Neuville had a similar incident after losing concentration in his Hyundai I20. “I had a big, big landing on the nose when the rear kicked up at a bump in sixth gear. Afterwards I was checking the water temperature all the time and went late into a junction,” he explained.

Robert Kubica spun his Ford Fiesta RS and Hayden Paddon admitted he was lucky to escape when a jump spat his i20 off the road and into the undergrowth. The Kiwi was still sixth quickest.

click: wrc.com/news/australia-update-1/



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SS2:



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SS3:




SS2 Bellingen 1 (10.72km) and SS3 Newry 1 (24.91km)



Both tests were identical to 2013. Bellingen threaded through forests on narrow roads, with trees close to the edge. It was undulating with plenty of dips and jumps. Newry was fast and flowing but rough in places, with narrow sections in the forests.

Two consecutive fastest times for Kris Meeke promoted the Citroen DS3 driver into the lead of Coates Hire Rally Australia midway through Friday’s opening leg.

He climbed from third to first after winning the Bellingen and Newry tests, returning to service in Coffs Harbour with a 2.4sec advantage over Andreas Mikkelsen’s Volkswagen Polo R.

Meeke, eighth in the start order, made the most of roads swept clean of gravel by those ahead and said: “I did the best job I could. When you are eighth on the road you like to think you can lead. We’ll soldier on and see what happens in the second pass.”

Tyre selection was the big talking point. Mud in the opening stage gave way to drier conditions and the choices were varied as drivers searched for the best mix of Michelin’s hard and soft compounds for the inconsistent grip.

Mikkelsen was unsure whether hard rubber was the best choice but the Norwegian was 0.9sec clear of Mikko Hirvonen’s similarly-shod Ford Fiesta RS overall. Hirvonen was edged out of fastest time by just 0.3sec by Meeke through Newry.

Early leader Sébastien Ogier found the drier conditions more difficult as road opener and the Frenchman dropped more than 10sec in Newry to slide to fourth in his Polo R, 8.4sec off the lead.

He was 0.6sec ahead of team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, who bled the brakes before Bellingen to fix his opening stage issue. Thierry Neuville climbed to sixth after his earlier overshoot with top four times in both stages, with Hayden Paddon, an out-of-sorts Mads Østberg, Robert Kubica and Chris Atkinson completing the leaderboard.

Elfyn Evans dropped 15sec after stalling his Fiesta RS at a Bellingen hairpin, the Welshman admitting he was struggling for confidence.

Yazeed Al Rajhi leads WRC 2, despite a second stage stall. He is 7.3sec clear of Nasser Al-Attiyah with Jari Ketomaa third, the Finn going off briefly in Newry after pushing too hard to compensate for a turbo boost issue. Ott Tänak is more than three minutes back after a front differential problem.

click: wrc.com/australia-update-2/

...:cool:
 
#5 · (Edited)
SS4 Hydes Creek 2 (10.73km)

This was a new stage which featured 3km of roads used in the opposite direction last year. It was technical with many surface changes, varying from mud to loose gravel and clay.



The battle for supremacy at the head of the Coates Hire Rally Australia leaderboard intensified further through Friday afternoon’s opening stage, after which just 5.8sec covered the top five drivers.

Fastest time, as in the morning’s opening pass, went to Sébastien Ogier. The Volkswagen Polo R driver was 0.5sec quicker than team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, with Mikko Hirvonen third, a further 2.4sec behind in a Ford Fiesta RS.

Road opener Ogier said the tracks were cleaner than this morning, while Latvala, who bled his car’s brakes before the start, admitted he was too sideways in places and in too high a gear on several occasions.

Third fastest for Hirvonen moved him level with Andreas Mikkelsen in second, the pair 2.0sec behind leader Kris Meeke, who was bemused to drop time in the final half of the stage. Ogier is 2.7sec behind Mikkelsen and Latvala 1.1sec further back in fifth.

click more: wrc.com/australia-update-3/



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SS5



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SS6



SS5 Bellingen 2 (10.72km) and SS6 Newry 2 (24.91km)

Both tests were identical to 2013. Bellingen threaded through forests on narrow roads, with trees close to the edge. It was undulating with plenty of dips and jumps. Newry was fast and flowing but rough in places, with narrow sections in the forests.

Thierry Neuville dropped almost two minutes and plunged from sixth to 11th in Coates Hire Rally Australia after breaking the rear suspension in his Hyundai i20 in the Bellingen stage.

“I went a little wide in one of the first corners and hit a stone or something at the exit. I thought it was OK but 1km afterwards something broke and the wheel was moving. A small part in the rear suspension had broken but I was able to fix it and continue,” he said.

Also in trouble was team-mate Chris Atkinson who lost more than a minute in Newry. His i20 trailed its sump guard all afternoon and the rear began to handle awkwardly midway through the test.

“I didn’t understand what it was and I didn’t want to take any risks. We’ll take a look at service tonight. We need to take the sump guard off and check it out but we didn’t have time between stages,” explained Atkinson.

To complete an unhappy couple of stages for the Korean manufacturer, Hayden Paddon reported a loose brake pedal and a flashing oil pressure warning light in his i20.

Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest through both stages from Sébastien Ogier in Volkswagen Polo Rs. He climbed from fifth to second, just 2.1sec behind Kris Meeke, with Ogier 0.5sec back in third.

Andreas Mikkelsen and Mikko Hirvonen, who were tied in second, ceded a few seconds and were fourth and fifth.

click: wrc.com/australia-update-4/

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SS7



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SS8



Sébastien Ogier led Coates Hire Rally Australia after Friday’s tight opening leg which ended with less than eight seconds covering the top five.



The Frenchman headed a Volkswagen Polo R 1-2-3 by overhauling Jari-Matti Latvala in the final short special stage in Coffs Harbour to lead by 0.4sec. Andreas Mikkelsen was third, a further 3.1sec behind.

Ogier led after the first gravel stage in the New South Wales countryside, despite being first in the start order. But as conditions dried he bore the brunt of sweeping slippery surface gravel and fell back to fourth.

Kris Meeke moved his Citroen DS3 to the front after two consecutive stage wins. He held off an attacking Latvala until the Finn moved ahead in the penultimate stage, only for him to be edged out by Ogier.

Latvala might well have held the overnight lead had it not been for soft brakes in the opening stage which cost a handful of seconds and required bleeding before the next test.

Meeke was relegated to fourth in the final two city stages but is only 4.1sec behind Ogier. Consolation is that he will restart last of the headline World Rally Car drivers tomorrow as the running order was calculated at the conclusion of the country tests when he led.



Mikkelsen and Mikko Hirvonen were initially Meeke’s closest pursuers, Hirvonen enjoying one of his best days of the season to hold fifth in a Ford Fiesta RS, 7.9sec from the lead.

click more: wrc.com/australia-end-leg-1/

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#7 · (Edited)
Saturday
SS9 Nambucca 1 (48.92km): Latvala grabs lead in Australia




Jari-Matti Latvala took the lead of Coates Hire Rally Australia after winning Saturday’s opening special stage in his Volkswagen Polo R.

The Finn lost the lead to team-mate Sébastien Ogier in last night’s final short test in Coffs Harbour, but overturned the 0.4sec deficit through the monster 48.92km Nambucca test after beating the Frenchman by 3.0sec.

A relaxed Latvala said the fast, open roads reminded him of his native Finnish stages and suggested there was more pace to come if required.

Ogier was equally calm after his drive. “Not perfect but not bad. I know I can do better and I’ll try to make it up on the next one,” he told WRC Live.

Kris Meeke was third in his Citroen DS3, 10.5sec behind Latvala, and relegated Andreas Mikkelsen to fourth by a tenth of a second.

Despite heavy rain last night the roads were drier than expected and the surface loose. Meeke opted for soft compound Michelin tyres, like the other frontrunners, but suggested harder rubber might have been worth a gamble.

“Maybe we missed an opportunity with the hard tyre. That would have been a big shout. It would have been very, very, very brave but I think it could have worked,” said Meeke.

Elfyn Evans damaged the radiator of his Ford Fiesta RS when a stick pierced the unit. The Welshman was working on the car after the stage in an attempt to make repairs.

Robert Kubica stopped before the stage with intermittent gearbox issues in his Fiesta RS. But after a reset the Pole enjoyed a clear run through the test itself.

click: wrc.com/latvala-takes-lead/



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SS10 Valla I (Live TV Stage) (7.92 km):

Jari-Matti Latvala stretched his lead in Coates Hire Rally Australia with a second consecutive stage victory in Saturday morning’s Valla test.

He was quickest in the 8.96km stage in a Volkswagen Polo R by 1.5sec over team-mate Sébastien Ogier and the gap between the warring duo was 4.1sec as cars returned to Coffs Harbour for service.

While Latvala stressed how much he was enjoying the Australian roads, Ogier admitted to a second corner mistake when he clipped a bank, taking a chunk out of the front bumper. “Every second counts,” reflected the championship leader.

Andreas Mikkelsen was third, 1.8sec behind Latvala. More importantly for the Norwegian he was 2.7sec quicker than Kris Meeke and regained the third place that he lost to the Citroen DS3 pilot in the previous test. The gap between them was 0.8sec.

Fifth-placed Mikko Hirvonen lost momentum when he slid his Ford Fiesta RS into a ditch at a slippery asphalt corner. The Finn was 19.5sec behind Meeke.

Hayden Paddon (pictured below) adjusted the ride height on his Hyundai i20 before the stage and fended off Mads Østberg’s DS3 by 3.7sec in their fight for sixth, with Robert Kubica eighth.



Elfyn Evans was relieved to emerge after a branch holed the radiator of his Fiesta RS in two places in the previous test. “We were panicking a little bit but it seems to have held up,” said the Welshman, who used putty to make repairs. He was ninth with a 27.2sec advantage over Thierry Neuville.

Yazeed Al Rajhi and Nasser Al-Attiyah continued their WRC 2 battle, with Al Rajhi 8.2sec ahead in a Fiesta RRC. Jari Ketomaa was third after puncturing a front right tyre.

click: wrc.com/latvala-stretches-lead/




....:cool:
 
#8 · (Edited)
SS11 Nambucca II (48.92 km)

Sébastien Ogier blasted back into the lead of Coates Hire Rally Australia after a stunning drive through the second pass of the marathon Nambucca stage to outpace Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala by 13.4sec.

Latvala’s 4.1sec lead was wiped out as tyre selection proved the difference between the duo in the 48.92km test.

Forecasts suggested rain was likely, prompting Latvala to opt for two hard compound Michelin tyres on the front of his Polo R and two softs on the rear. But the roads were dry and Ogier’s option of three hard and one soft tyre proved more matched to the conditions.

“It wasn’t a perfect choice but better than Jari-Matti, I guess,” said Ogier. “The best would have been four hard tyres. We had a clean stage and avoided the small mistakes we made earlier.”

Latvala admitted his mistake. “According to our information there was an expectation of rain showers. But they never came and the road was 100 per cent dry so the rears overheated. Towards the end it was better but at the beginning the road was too dry for the soft compound,” he said.

Kris Meeke, with four hard tyres on his Citroen DS3, was second fastest, 0.6sec ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen. He closed to within 0.2sec of the Norwegian in their fight for third.

Fifth fastest Mads Østberg was 10.3sec quicker than Hayden Paddon’s Hyundai i20 to relegate the Kiwi driver in their battle for sixth.

M-Sport trio Mikko Hirvonen, Elfyn Evans and Robert Kubica all choose five soft tyres in expectation of rain, a decision they regretted. “We will lose quite a lot of time with these tyres,” said a despondent Hirvonen. Evans dropped behind Thierry Neuville into 10th.

click: wrc.com/ogier-back-in-lead/



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SS12 Valla II (7.92 km)

Kris Meeke ousted Andreas Mikkelsen from third as their fight for the final podium place at Coates Hire Rally Australia continued unabated through the last country stage of today’s second leg.

A Mikkelsen error allowed Meeke to set a time 1.5sec faster through the second pass of the 8.96km Vella stage. The Citroen DS3 driver heads into tonight’s last two short stadium tests in Coffs Harbour with a 1.3sec advantage.

“I came too fast into a right bend. I had to save the car and lost my speed for the next straight, which was a long one. I lost 2-3sec,” Mikkelsen admitted.

However, Meeke was concerned that, like yesterday, he might lose position through tonight’s stages. “The Volkswagens are immense in those stages. They took seven seconds from me in only 3kms yesterday, but I’m happy with my speed,” he said.

Sébastien Ogier was fastest by 1.0sec from team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala to extend his advantage to 10.3sec, and the Finn paid tribute to his colleague’s pace.

“Seb is driving really well. We had a good stage with the soft tyres and I wouldn’t have been able to go faster on harder tyres,” he said.

Robert Kubica dropped more than a minute after crashing in a bizarre incident. “I was distracted by a yellow flag test (safety system). I saw it flashing in the car when braking for a crest and we crashed,” said Kubica, whose Ford Fiesta RS sported damage on the left at the front and rear.

Thierry Neuville finished with the front bumper missing and a damaged bonnet in his Hyundai i20. “I pushed hard and lost the rear in a corner. I hit a pole, or a mail post and pulled that down,” said the Belgian.

Despite that he moved ahead of Kubica into eighth, the Pole also slipping behind Elfyn Evans into 10th.

click: wrc.com/meeke-climbs-to-third/



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SS13 SSSIII (1.56 km)



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SS14 SSSIV (1.56 km)




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Tyre gamble gives Ogier Oz advantage

A shrewd tyre call from Sébastien Ogier handed him the lead of Coates Hire Rally Australia after Saturday’s second leg.

Ogier headed Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala by 11.8sec after out-guessing the Finn during this afternoon’s special stages when the threat of rain prompted a myriad of different tyre selections from the FIA World Rally Championship’s leading drivers.

Latvala snatched top spot from overnight leader Ogier with fastest time in this morning’s two gravel stages near the New South Wales base of Coffs Harbour. However, his 4.1sec advantage was wiped out when the tests were repeated.

Forecasts suggested rain was likely, prompting Latvala to opt for two hard compound Michelin tyres on the front of his Polo R and two softs on the rear. But the roads remained dry and Ogier’s option of three hard and one soft tyre was more matched to the conditions.

He snatched back more than 13sec from his rival during the marathon 48.92km Nambucca test to deflate Latvala’s victory hopes.

“It was all about tyre choice this afternoon,” said Ogier. “The meteo was very unsure and there was a risk of thunderstorms, but finally it stayed dry. We had to use one soft tyre but Jari-Matti had to use two so it was even harder for him.

“The car moved a little bit and oversteered in right corners but you have to keep that in mind and be a bit cautious,” he added.

More: wrc.com/australia-end-leg-2/

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Cutting corner costs Meeke fourth place




Kris Meeke has been relegated from fourth to fifth place at Coates Hire Rally Australia after event stewards handed him a 1min 1sec penalty for cutting a corner on Saturday’s Stage 10.

The Briton was locked in a tense battle for third with Andreas Mikkelsen when the incident occurred, within sight of the finish line of the Valla stage.

Live television cameras captured Meeke’s Citroen DS3 as it left the road before a left-hand corner and drove over a grass area before rejoining.

Meeke told stewards that while he had always intended to cut the corner, he had approached it too quickly and ended up taking a bigger cut than he had planned.

He said he had realised the inside area of the corner was clear of people and he had not gained any time advantage. He apologised for the lapse, and added that he was aware that his driving was not in the spirit of the rules.

The stewards decided to penalise Meeke by dropping him one place in the classification. He will start Sunday’s final leg 0.6sec behind the Ford Fiesta RS of Mikko Hirvonen.

click: wrc.com/meeke-cutting-corner

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#10 · (Edited)
Sunday

SS15 Shipmans I (24.72 km)


Jari-Matti Latvala narrowed the deficit to leader Sébastien Ogier in Sunday’s opening special stage at Coates Hire Rally Australia.



The Finn was fastest through Shipmans by 2.0sec to reduce the gap to Volkswagen Polo R team-mate Ogier to 9.8sec.

“It was a good run but two seconds isn’t massive when you want around four or five,” said Latvala. “It’s the right direction and there’s a bit of pressure on him, so that’s good.”

Ogier was 1.5sec faster in the early part but eased his pace to allow Latvala ahead. “I tried to back off a little and started to lose too much time. No alarm. A gap of less than 10sec at this level is not comfortable but I have to do my job and then it will be fine,” he said.

Kris Meeke, who was relegated one position in the standings by event stewards late last night after cutting a corner, quickly disposed of Mikko Hirvonen to regain fourth in his Citroen DS3. The Briton is now 2.6sec ahead of the Finn’s Ford Fiesta RS.

Hirvonen appeared distracted at the end of the stage, a red warning light in the cockpit perhaps the reason for his concern.

Hayden Paddon closed on Mads Østberg in their fight for sixth. The Kiwi was 4.2sec faster in his Hyundai i20 to narrow the gap to 3.1sec.

In WRC 2, Yazeed Al Rajhi moved back into the lead, his advantage over Nasser Al-Attiyah 3.3sec.

click: wrc.com/latvala-closes/



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SS16 Bucca I (10.86 km)



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SS17 Wedding Bells I (Live TV Stage)



Sebastien Ogier maintained the lead of Coates Hire Rally Australia in the opening loop of Sunday’s final leg but a charging Jari-Matti Latvala continued to pile the pressure on his Volkswagen team-mate.



As drivers returned to service following three stages in the New South Wales countryside north of Coffs Harbour, Ogier was 8.7sec clear of his Polo R colleague. Just a repeat of the three stages, covering just under 45km, remained before the finish.

After ceding 2.0sec in the opening stage, Ogier regained 1.4sec through the 10.86km Bucca test, only for Latvala to regain another 2.5sec in the 9.23km Wedding Bells.

Ogier was fastest in Bucca but only seventh in Wedding Bells, although the Frenchman insisted all remained under control.

“It was slippery at the beginning and in that section I didn’t take any risks. I can afford to. Everything is going to plan and I’m trying to control it,” said Ogier.

Despite second fastest time in Wedding Bells behind Kris Meekes Citroen DS3, Latvala was deflated. “I was pushing too hard, I did a mistake. It was a bit too much, there were too many slippery places that gave me surprises,” said the Finn.

Andreas Mikkelsen was cruising in third. The Norwegian held a comfortable 44.4sec advantage over Meeke, who stretched the gap over fifth-placed Mikko Hirvonen to 4.8sec.

Mads Ostberg and Hayden Paddon continued to duel over sixth. Ostberg took time back from the Kiwi in both stages and the Citroen DS3 pilot was 6.1sec ahead, Paddon having inflicted front end damage to his Hyundai i20 after a heavy landing.

Thierry Neuville, Elfyn Evans and Robert Kubica completed the leaderboard.

Nasser Al-Attiyah led WRC 2 after Yazeed al Rajhi, who moved back to the front in the opening stage, retired when a branch pierced his Fiesta RRC’s radiator.

click: wrc.com/ogier-holds-on/


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#11 · (Edited)
SS18 Shipmans II (24.72 km)





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SS19 Bucca II (10.86 km)



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SS20 Wedding Bells II (Power Stage & TV) (9.23 km)



Sébastien Ogier led Volkswagen’s first podium clean sweep at Coates Hire Rally Australia as the German squad secured its second consecutive FIA World Rally Championship manufacturers’ crown.

The Frenchman held off team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala in a tense final leg to win the three-day gravel event, round nine of 13, by 6.8sec in a Polo R. Andreas Mikkelsen completed the podium lockout in third, a further 1min 11.2sec behind.

Latvala won the rally-closing live TV Power Stage to take maximum bonus points. Ogier claimed two points for second with Kris Meeke taking one in a Citroen DS3.

---------------------------

Sebastien Ogier led Volkswagen’s first podium clean sweep at Coates Hire Rally Australia as the German squad secured its second consecutive FIA World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title.

The Frenchman held off Jari-Matti Latvala in a tense final leg to win the three-day gravel event in New South Wales by 6.8sec in a Polo R. Andreas Mikkelsen completed the podium lockout in third, a further 1min 11.2sec behind.

Ogier’s 22nd career win, and his sixth of the season, moved him closer to a second consecutive drivers’ title. He leads Latvala by 50 points with three rounds remaining and could secure the crown at his home rally next month.

Volkswagen’s dominance was emphasised by the fact that the manufacturers’ title has not been decided so early in the season since 1989.

Ogier acknowledged his victory was not achieved with the same dominance as his 2013 win.

“This year it wasn’t possible to have that. Jari-Matti was strong but today I knew that without mistakes I would be OK. I tried to stay concentrated, pushing when it was clean and being more cautious in the tricky parts. It wasn’t a big winning margin but enough to win the rally and another crucial step towards winning the title,” he said.

Latvala held a slender lead until the pendulum swung Ogier’s way on Saturday afternoon. Although rain was forecast, he opted for harder compound Michelin tyres than Latvala.

The gamble worked as the rain stayed away and Latvala’s tyres overheated in the warm weather. Ogier turned a four second deficit into a nine second advantage in just one stage, a blow from which Latvala could not recover.

More: wrc.com/australia-end-leg-3/

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WRC2

Nasser Al-Attiyah took his third WRC 2 win of the season at Coates Hire Rally Australia on Sunday to strengthen his championship challenge.



He won by 1min 50.4sec from Jari Ketomaa after a rallylong duel with Yazeed Al Rajhi ended when the Saudi Arabian driver retired from the lead after a branch pierced the radiator of his Ford Fiesta RRC.

The win moved Al-Attiyah, also in a Fiesta RRC, to within eight points of series leader Lorenzo Bertelli, who finished fourth. Ketomaa’s fifth runner-up placing of the season means the Finn is only three points from top spot.

Al Rajhi and Al-Attiyah swapped places throughout the rally and Al Rajhi had just regained the lead when he retired in Sunday’s second stage. Having suffered radiator damage he was looking for somewhere to stop when his car clipped a tree and broke the rear suspension.

More: wrc.com/wrc-2/australia-leg-3/


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Next Rnd 11 - Rallye de France Oct 3-5




History

France’s WRC round was held on the stunning island of Corsica from 1973 to 2008.
After a year’s absence due to rotation, the rally moved to Alsace in 2010.
Alsace is Sebastien Loeb country and he secured his seventh world title at the end of a street stage through his home town of Haguenau that year.
Loeb’s final WRC event was here last year. Even the great Frenchman shed a tear.

What’s new for 2014

Almost half the stage distance has never been used before.
A completely revised street test in Mulhouse ends Saturday’s action.
Sunday – everything is new for 2014.


Official Website: rallyedefrance.com/en/

Listen Live: wrc.com/live_popup_radio

WRC+ for €4.99 Euro : Live Stages/Live Maps/Onboard Action/Full Highlights plus.wrc.com/

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