RALLYING

World champion Sebastien Ogier registered his eighth win of the year in the season-endingWales Rally GB but the Frenchman was in no mood to celebrate in the wake of the Paris shootings.

The Volkswagen Polo R driver beat Kris Meeke – recording the best finish in a home event by a Briton in 15 years – in his Citroen DS 3 by 26 seconds, with Norway’s Andreas Mikkelsen third in another Polo R.

At the end of the final power stage Ogier, after a third successive victory in the event, got out of his car and draped a tricolour across his windscreen and the French national flag was in evidence again at a muted podium presentation. “Victory here is the best way to finish the season, but there is no point in celebrating anything,” said Ogier, in reference to Friday’s terrorist attacks which killed 129 people.

“We have other things on our mind. It has been a difficult weekend.”

Ogier finished outside the top four in each of the final four stages, but such was his dominance on Saturday, winning four of nine stages, he had enough of a cushion for thatnot to matter. Team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala finished way down in 52nd spot after crashing out on stage two, but the Finn won the final power stage, worth three bonus points, to finish second in the drivers’ standings ahead of Mikkelsen.

Meeke’s second place, combined with Mads Ost- berg’s seventh, meant CitroenedgedoutHyundai for second place in the manufacturers’ championship.

Quiet tribute: Sebastien Ogier and hs co-driver Julien Ingrassia with team members at Deeside inWales