An open battle at the final rally of the year: Volkswagen duos Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) and Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (N/N) go into the Rally Great Britain with one common goal – victory. The destinations of the World Championship titles and the top three places in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ competition may already have been decided ahead of the 13th and final round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) in north Wales, but the drivers in the blue, grey and white are as hungry for success as ever. After all, the Rally Great Britain is a genuine classic on the WRC calendar.
Ogier and Ingrassia, who successfully defended their World Championship titles* in Spain three weeks ago, are determined to end their WRC-winning season on a high – just as they did last year. Runners-up in the World Championship, Latvala and Anttila, also have their sights set on a perfect end to the season – as do the third-placed pair of Mikkelsen and Fløene: Latvala/Anttila are gunning for their third victory in Wales, while Mikkelsen/Fløene, who also started out on their rallying career here, will be going flat out for their maiden WRC victory. However, the Volkswagen drivers are not alone in that regard: Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen will face another eleven strong opponents from Hyundai, Ford and Citroën in their World Rally Cars in Great Britain.
“The Rally Great Britain promises to be a spectacular finale for fans, drivers and teams alike,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. “This classic is one of those rallies that everyone wants to win at least once over the course of their career. The rally in Wales is right up there with the ‘Monte’, the Rally Sweden and the Rally Finland. Unique special stages in unique weather conditions, which are sometimes difficult to judge – these are real challenges. There can be absolutely no doubting the motivation of our Volkswagen drivers. As always, Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen will be given free rein as they look to satisfy their desire to win. Once again: may the best man win.”