Volkswagen’s Ogier wins Rally Italy
Posted 22nd June, 2013 in Motorsport, Videos | Leave a comment
Sebastien Ogier secured his fourth rally for Volkswagen at this year’s event in Sardinia, extending his lead in the World Rally Championship to 64 points over team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala.
The Frenchman, who dominated the rally from the start, also won today’s Power Stage, while Ford’s Thierry Neuville finished over a minute behind him in second place. Acropolis winner Jari-Matti Latvala took the third in his Polo R WRC after fighting his way through the field following a puncture on Stage 1.
Citroen’s Mikko Hirvonen and Ford’s Evgeny Novikov and Mads Ostberg had all been fighting for podium places, but crashes spelt retirement for Hirvonen and Novikov with Ostberg eventually coming home eighth.
VW’s Andreas Mikkelsen had been looking good for fourth until suspension damage ended his rally three stages from the end, meaning Citroen’s Dani Sordo capitalized on his misfortune with Martin Prokop and Elfyn Evans rounding out the top six for Ford.
“It feels fantastic to be back on top of the podium again! I was really beginning to miss that feeling after the last two rallies. I’m simply delighted – the team did a fantastic job and the Polo ran like a dream all weekend,” said a jubilant Ogier.
Rally Italy results
1. S Ogier VW 3h22m57.9s
2. T Neuville M-Sport Ford +1m16.8s
3. J-M Latvala VW +1m48.0s
4. D Sordo Citroen +3m19.2s
5. M Prokop Czech Ford +8m34.1s
6. E Evans M-Sport Ford +11m51.8s
7. M Kosciuszko Lotos Ford +11m52.7s
8. M Ostberg M-Sport Ford +13m21.5s
9. R Kubica PH Citroen +16m47.6s*
10. K Al Qassimi Citroen +17m19.9s
[Source: WRC]
