Summary Sebastien Ogier rounded off the season in style on Sunday with win in the Wales Rally GB.
DEESIDE (AFP) - France s freshly-crowned world champion Sebastien Ogier rounded off the season in style on Sunday with back-to-back wins in the Wales Rally GB.
The VW Polo driver, who defended his world rally championship title in Spain last month, saw off Mikko Hirvonen in a Ford Fiesta by almost 40 seconds.
This was Finnish rally star Hirvonen s 193rd and final rally before retirement after a 13 season career. The 34-year-old bows out with 15 wins and 69 podium finishes.
He came in fourth in the overall standings, on 126 points, with Ogier champion again on 267 from Jari-Matti Latvala on 218 and Andreas Mikkelsen of Norway on 150.
"I couldn t have planned a better way to end my career," said Hirvonen.
"It was a fantastic fight all weekend, one of the most enjoyable of my career. It was an amazing weekend and I m looking forward to keeping all my memories from the last 13 years and taking them home with me."
In third in Wales, over a minute adrift, came Mikkelson s compatriot Mads Ostberg.
This was Ogier s 24th career success and the eighth of the season.
"It s the best way to finish the season and it was my target," said Ogier.
"We started flat-out on Friday and made an incredible day - there was a big difference to everyone else."
Latvala, Ogier s Volkswagen teammate, posted the fastest time in the power stage for his ninth stage win in Wales compared to Ogier s four but his hopes of victory were dented when he slithered into a ditch on Saturday.
"My rally changed when Jari-Matti made a mistake and I had control and could ease my pace," said Ogier.
"It wasn t the most fun way to drive, but in the slippery conditions I had to do it. It was the best way to get the win," he added.
