Ajaccio, Corsica - World rally championship leader Sebastien Ogier won the Tour of Corsica on Sunday but will need to wait a bit longer before securing a fourth world title.
The Frenchman dominated the asphalt rally from the opening leg, when he swept all four stages, then comfortably held onto his lead in wet conditions to win by 46.4 seconds.
“What I really wanted was to win this rally,” said Ogier, whose previous win at his home rally was in 2013, when the race was held in the northeastern region of Alsace. “It's my first win in Corsica ... We showed strong pace on the first day and managed the rest of the weekend perfectly.”
Driving a Hyundai, Belgium's Thierry Neuville ended runner-up ahead of Ogier's Volkswagen teammate Andreas Mikkelsen, who was a further 23.6 seconds behind. It was Mikkelsen's first podium finish since winning in Poland in July.
Ogier extended his overall lead over Mikkelsen to 68 points and can seal the title at the Rally of Catalunya, from Oct. 13-16. The Frenchman needs 16 more points to become only the fourth driver with four world rally titles.
British driver Kris Meeke won both Sunday's stages but finished 16th after hitting a tree early on Saturday.
DRIVER STANDINGS
1. Sebastien Ogier (France) VW Polo - 195
2. Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) VW Polo - 127
3. Thierry Neuville (Belgium) Hyundai i20 - 112
4. Hayden Paddon (New Zealand) Hyundai i20 - 102
5. Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland) VW Polo - 101
6. Daniel Sordo (Spain) Hyundai i20 - 92
7. Mads Ostberg (Norway) Ford Fiesta - 80
8. Kris Meeke (Britain) Citroen C3 - 54
9. Ott Taenak (Estonia) Ford Fiesta - 53
10. Craig Breen (Ireland) Citroen C3 - 35