Volkswagen has become 2014 Manufacturer’s Champion in the World Rally Championship, courtesy of an impressive result where all three Volkswagens took all three podium positions. Sebastien Ogier upped the ante on defending his driver’s title by winning Rally Australia, followed by his teammates, Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen. This is the first time the German team took 1-2-3.
20 special stages, 17 stage wins – Volkswagen enhanced the already impressive record of the Polo R WRC at the Rally Australia. Since the World Rally Car made its first competitive outing at the 2013 Rally Monte Carlo, the four-wheel drive powerhouse has won a remarkable 297 of 428 stages. It also ended special stages in the top three on 679 occasions. Rally Australia’s 20 special stages yielded a further 42 top-three results for the Volkswagen drivers.
Volkswagen goes into the remaining three rallies of the season – in France, Spain and Great Britain, with the driver’s title still up for grabs between Ogier and Latvala.
FIA Rally World Championship (WRC), Rally Australia – Final Results
1. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen 2h 53m 18.0s
2. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen + 6.8s
3. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (N/N), Volkswagen + 1m 18.0s
4. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (GB/IRL), Citroën + 1m 44.0s
5. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN/FIN), Ford + 1m 53.6s
6. Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (NZ/NZ), Hyundai + 2m 56.2s
7. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Hyundai + 4m 28.2s
8. Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt (GB/GB), Ford + 5m 10.0s
9. Robert Kubica/Maciej Szczepaniak (PL/PL), Ford + 6m 39.8s
10. Chris Atkinson/Stephane Prevot (AUS/B), Hyundai + 9m 29.4s
[Source: Volkswagen]
