WRC Spain: Mikkelsen takes victory after Ogier crashes

Andreas Mikkelsen celebrated his maiden victory in the World Rally Championship (WRC) on Sunday, after Volkswagen teammate Sebastien Ogier crashed in the final stage of Rally Catalunya.

Defending triple WRC champion Ogier arrived in the rally-concluded power stage with a near-unassailable advantage of 50.9 seconds, having dominated the penultimate round of the championship. However, a mistake on one of the left-handers meant that he crashed into the barriers, losing a wheel as a result.

With the Frenchman unable to continue, Mikkelsen took a surprise first win, beating Jari Matti Latvala by 3.1 seconds. The Norwegian driver trailed Latvala coming into the final leg of the rally,

but two stages wins allowed him to leapfrog his teammate.

Behind the Volkswagen runners, Hyundai’s Dani Sordo finished an excellent third on home soil, with the Citroen duo of Mads Ostberg and Kris Meeke completing the top five. The latter had been leading the intra-team battle at the French manufacturer until a spin in SS19.

The final round of the WRC season, Wales Rally, is scheduled from 11th to 15th November, in the UK.

Rally Catalunya: Results (Top 10)

1. Andreas Mikkelsen (Volkswagen) 3:21:04.8
2. Jari Matti Latvala (Volkswagen) +3.1
3. Dani Sordo (Hyundai) +21.2
4. Mads Ostberg (Citroen) +1:06.3
5. Kris Meeke (Citroen) +1:08.2
6. Hayden Paddon (Hyundai) +1:23.3
7. Martin Prokop (Czech National Team) +4:14.2
8. Thierry Nouvelle (Hyundai) +8:01.9
9. Pontus Tidemand (WRC2) +10:18.0
10. Robert Kubica (RK World Rally Team) +12:15.0