Reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier of France in a Volkswagen Polo won the Rally of Poland counting toward the World Rally Championship on Sunday.
It was Ogier’s fifth win of the season out of seven rallies and the 21st of his career.
After 24 special stages and 360 kilometres of timed sections, Ogier finished clear of his teammate Andreas Mikkelsen of Norway with Belgium’s Thierry Neuville in a Hyundai in third place.
The win means that Ogier extended his lead atop the world championship standings with 166 points against 116 for his other teammate Jari-Matti Latvala, who could only place fifth in Poland.
The Frenchman dominated the rally from start to finish and he held a comfortable lead going into the final day’s action.
He never looked like being caught and by any of his rivals with Latvala being ruled out of contention after his car suspension was damaged by a stray stone on Saturday’s 14th special stage.
Latvala won in Sweden and Argentina earlier in the season, with Ogier winning the others in Monte-Carlo, Mexico, Portugal, Sardinia and now Poland.
“I think it was the perfect weekend for me,” said Ogier.
“I am really happy – victory and a good step for the championship [too]. The stages were good fun and high speed.”
Despite his disappointment at missing out on top spot, Mikkelsen was able to cruise to second place, and he reflected on a solid weekend.
“It has been a great weekend for me,” Mikkelsen said. “I really enjoyed the stages. We battled hard with Seb [Ogier].
“It was a shame we lost time yesterday with the brakes and a mistake from me, but still a very positive weekend.”