Latvala takes Rally Australia win, Ogier seals 2018 title

Full WRC Rally Australia results

Jari-Matti Latvala has taken his first victory for almost two years as Sebastien Ogier seals the 2018 World Rally Championship title with main rivals Ott Tanak and Thierry Neuville both dropping out of contention.

On a dramatic final day of the 2018 WRC season, all three of Ogier, Neuville and Tanak remained in contention but with the M-Sport Ford driver holding the provisional title in sixth place the pressure was on the chasing pair.

Neuville, struggling throughout Rally Australia in eighth place, attempted to up the pressure but on SS22 with two stages to go but the Hyundai driver was caught out pushing and lost a wheel in damage sustained in an off which effectively ended his title charge.

Tanak’s own fortunes were dwindling having lost the lead of Rally Australia at the end of SS21 after a minor off, handing Latvala the lead, and while aiming to recover he crashed off on the penultiamte stage to hand Ogier the title.

Ogier duly sealed his sixth consecutive WRC drivers’ title in style with victory on the Power Stage to take fifth place overall.

Latvala held on to take a comfortable victory for Toyota Gazzo Racing, his first since 2017’s Rally Sweden, with Hayden Paddon settling for second place for Hyundai.

Mads Ostberg completed the podium for Citroen following Tanak’s off with Esapekka Lappi taking fourth place comfortably ahead of title-winner Ogier.

Elfyn Evans had to settle for sixth place behind M-Sport Ford teammate Ogier, with Craig Breen rescuing seventh place from a difficult final event for Citroen.

Privateers Alberto Heller, Steve Glenney and Jourdan Serderidis completed the points places given the high rate of attrition.