Volkswagen’s Sébastien Ogier has claimed another win at the 2016 Dayinsure Wales Rally GB.
Four-time World Rally Champion Ogier, who led from start to finish, secured his fourth win on the muddy gravel in Flintshire.
Ogier’s win in Wales means that Volkswagen have secured their fourth Manufacturer’s Championship in a row.
Coming into the final day in North Wales, the gap between first and second was +33.8 seconds after Day 2.
The Frenchman had to fend off an in-form Ott Tänak for the DMACK World Rally Team throughout the three days, who won the last six stages, including the rally-ending Power Stage to equal his best-ever WRC finish in second.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville claimed a fourth podium finish in a row in Wales in third, while his team-mate Hayden Paddon was fourth, +19.5 seconds from third-placed Neuville.
Kris Meeke had a mixed Wales Rally GB for Citroën in fifth, on the DS 3 WRC’s last-ever Wales Rally GB appearance.
Dani Sordo in the final Hyundai i20 WRC finished sixth, while the second Volkswagen of Jari-Matti Latvala fought through transmission problems on the opening day to finish seventh.
Mads Østberg in the first M-Sport Ford Fiesta RS WRC is eighth, while Stéphane Lefebvre returned to the WRC in ninth.
Eric Camilli completes the top ten for the WRC runners at the 2016 Dayinsure Wales Rally GB.
Credit: Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Esapekka Lappi claimed his third straight WRC2 win on the muddy, gravel stages in Wales.
Lappi led the rally from start to finish, finishing +29.1 seconds ahead of Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand.
Teemu Suninen is third, level on points in the WRC2 Championship Standings with Britain’s Elfyn Evans with one more round to go.
If Lappi finishes with a win or a second-place finish at the final round of the season at Rally Australia, then the Finn will be crowned the 2016 WRC2 Champion.
Jan Kopecký is fourth, while Marius Aasen is fifth, ahead of his fellow Norwegian Ole Christian Veiby in sixth.
Peru’s Nicolás Fuchs is seventh, whilst Frigyes Turán, David Bogie and Khalid Mohammad Al-Suwaidi complete the top ten in the WRC2 category.
Credit: @World Photography/Citroën Racing
Slovakia’s Martin Koči claimed his maiden win in both WRC3 and Junior WRC categories in Wales.
Similar to Ogier and Lappi’s wins in their respective categories, Koči led both the WRC3 and Junior WRC timesheets from start to finish in Flintshire.
2016 Junior WRC Champion Simone Tempestini finished over two minutes behind Koči in second.
The French duo of Yohan Rossel and Vincent Dubert complete the WRC3 and Junior WRC finishers in Wales.
Credit: @World Photography/Citroën Racing
Finally, with the British drivers round-up, Kris Meeke remained the lead British WRC driver in fifth for Citroën.
While in WRC2, 2016 Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy-winner Osian Pryce retired from the rally in sixth, two stages before the finish with a water leak in his radiator.
MSA British Rally Championship competitor David Bogie was the lead British driver in WRC2, in ninth.
Rhys Yates finished eleventh, whilst England’s Gus Greensmith came back after his co-driver Katrin Becker fell ill on the second day to finish twelfth, behind his fellow Brit Yates.
Respected TV analyst and keen rally driver Tony Jardine finished with Winter Olympic Gold Medallist Amy Williams in thirty-ninth place in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.
Current FIA European Rally Championship competitor Chris Ingram, recovered from a crash in the pre-event Shakedown to finish in forty-eighth place.
Spencer Wilkinson completes the rest of the British drivers round-up at the 2016 Dayinsure Wales Rally GB in forty-ninth place.
The final round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship takes place at Rally Australia on the 18-20 November 2016.
