WRC
Sébastien Ogier claimed a thrilling last-gasp victory at Rally Sweden on Sunday after team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen spun away a maiden WRC victory almost within sight of the finish.
In the most exciting WRC finale for years, Ogier kept his cool to overturn a 3.0sec deficit in the final 15.87km special stage, while holding off Thierry Neuville in a titanic three-car tussle through the snowy forests of central Sweden.
Just 4.6sec covered the trio heading to the final live TV Power Stage. Interim times showed Mikkelsen remained on target to win as he entered the final section of the stage, but his Volkswagen Polo R touched a bank and was dragged into deep snow.
Ogier was already at the finish line and punched the air as news of Mikkelsen’s mistake was relayed to him, the Frenchman beating Neuville by 6.4sec.
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Sébastien Ogier,
“An unbelievable finale. I am incredibly proud of this win. It is certainly one of my best. The first victory in Sweden two years ago, when I beat Sébastien Loeb, was fantastic, but this was even harder-fought. Julien and I gave everything here, from day one right through to the Power Stage. We drove as hard as possible, and it paid off in the end. It was certainly one of the most thrilling and exciting ends to a rally – not just for the fans, but also of my career. I obviously feel sorry for Andreas, who came so close to his first win and was involved in an extremely intense battle with us. However, I am sure that this is not the last time we will be duelling for victory. He and Thierry Neuville produced impressive performances.”
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Theirry Neuville
“What a rally this has been! We have not had such a close battle for the victory for a long time and it has been great to be a part of such a thrilling finale. Nobody really expected us to be challenging for the win here, so it has been a brilliant performance. Of course, I pushed hard to get the win, taking quite a few risks, and I could honestly not have done more. A second place is still a very nice result for me and for everyone in the team, who have worked hard.”
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Andreas Mikkelsen
“We did our utmost right up until the final metre – but unfortunately lost out in the end. I never dreamed that I might one day be disappointed with a podium finish. After all, I have not won all that much yet in my career. However, I had the chance to clinch my maiden WRC victory and came very close to doing so. But I made a slight mistake, spun, and missed out on this opportunity. That is very bitter and very disappointing at the moment, although we can be proud of what we have achieved over the course of the week. However, I am certain that it is only a matter of time until I get my first win. Having said that, I would have loved to have come out on top in this thrilling three-way battle. We will now do our very best to put ourselves back in contention again in Mexico.”
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WRC2
Finland’s Jari Ketomaa took a convincing victory in WRC 2 at Rally Sweden after leading for virtually the entire event in a Ford Fiesta R5.
Ketomaa took the lead on Friday morning and was never again headed to beat Eyvind Brynildsen by 32.6sec as the Drive DMACK squad claimed a 1-2.
WRC3
Ole-Christian Veiby moved to the head of the WRC 3 championship after taking maximum points from Rally Sweden on Sunday.
The Norwegian youngster finished third in the opening round at Monte-Carlo when the FIA Junior WRC contenders also contested WRC 3. Sweden was not a JWRC round so Veiby found himself alone, knowing that simply finishing would secure full points.
He finished 22nd overall in Citroen’s DS 3 R3T after a troublefree outing through the snowy forests of Norway and central Sweden.
Results
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All materials from Press materials from WRC/Teams or Getty Images embed