Rally - Meeke second

As gale force winds and heavy rain battered the final four stages of Wales Rally GB, Kris Meeke and Mads Østberg managed to keep out of trouble and make it to the end of the rally. Ott Tänak’s retirement on SS16 promoted Mads Østberg to seventh place, whilst Kris Meeke racked up his seventh podium in the World Championship as he finished as runner-up.

Very consistent throughout the event, Stéphane Lefebvre continued to set top 10 times to end the rally in eighth overall – the best result of his career to date – in the DS 3 WRC. And that of course will pose a threat to the established lead driver line-up for 2016!

At the finish, Kris said: “I felt comfortable all weekend in the DS 3 WRC and our performances reflected that. It was a very difficult rally, but I really enjoyed it. Finishing as runner-up here in Wales was a great way to round off the season and secure second place in the manufacturers’ championship.”

As for the other top Brit, Elfyn Evans finished 6^th in the M-Sport Fiesta: "Overall I think we have performed quite strongly this weekend. Without the puncture it would have been a really comfortable fourth place but we all know that rallying is a game of ifs and buts. The conditions made for a particularly difficult rally but that is what makes this event so special and I was pretty pleased with our performance over the first couple of days. We worked really hard to improve our gravel performance ahead of this one and we were there or there abouts and best of the rest after the leading pack.”

"I also have to say a huge thanks to all of the spectators and marshals who braved the elements this weekend. The support that we received was incredible so a big thanks to them. Everyone keeps asking me if I have done enough to be here next year and I would like to think that I have. At the start of the season we were going really well and were as high as fourth in the championship at one point.”

"Unfortunately when we got the new car I just didn't quite get to grips with her. It's taken until now for me to feel comfortable on gravel but I feel as though we have made a big step forward and want to continue that progression into next year. I think that our potential is there. We have learnt a lot over the last 12 months and it would be a shame not to put all of that to good use next season."

In conclusion, DS Racing Team Principal, Yves Matton added: “Now is not really the time for celebrating, given the circumstances. Obviously, our thoughts are with the victims of the Paris attacks. The sporting result is secondary, but it was nonetheless important to finish off the job here. Thank you and well done to the team for their hard work throughout the year. I’m really proud of them. In addition to successfully defending both WTCC titles, we have achieved all our targets in rallying with second place in the Manufacturers’ World Championship, a WRC rally win and the WRC 3 title, which shows that we are still leading the way in promoting talented young drivers. I would also like to thank Mads Østberg, Jonas Andersson, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle for their commitment throughout the season.”

Final Provisional Overall Standings

1. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) 3:03:02.0
2. Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle (DS 3 WRC) +26.0
3. Andreas Mikkelsen / Ola Floene (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +36.2
4. Dani Sordo / Marc Marti (Hyundai i20 WRC) +2:51.3
5. Hayden Paddon / John Kennard (Hyundai i20 WRC) +3:00.5
6. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +3:09.1
7. Mads Østberg / Jonas Andersson (DS 3 WRC) +4:28.4
8. Stéphane Lefebvre / Stéphane Prévot (DS 3 WRC) +5:38.4
9. Robert Kubica / Maciek Szczepaniak (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +6:22.7
10. Lorenzo Bertelli / Lorenzo Granai (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +8:05.0