Sébastien Ogier and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia drove victory in a nail biting finish that saw his teammate Jari-Matti Latvala finish 21.8 seconds behind in the Wales Rally GB.

It was a resounding success for Volkswagen Motorsport, with Andreas Mikkelsen also finishing fifth fastest. 

"This is the perfect end to a perfect season," explained Sébastien Ogier. "I am very happy, and extremely proud of this win, as the Rally Wales is one of the toughest on the calendar. Things have not always gone to plan here for me in recent years. We just tried to maintain the gap through to the finish today. 

"Now that the season is over, I can look back on what has really been an incredible year. If anyone had predicted before the start of the season that Julien and I would end up with nine wins and the World Championship title to our name, we would probably have sent him straight to the team doctor. I may already have thanked the team in France, but I simply cannot say thank you often enough: the team did a fantastic job in our debut year. They made this fantastic success possible by providing me with a magnificent car."

Jari-Matti Latvala, who finished second said: "Second place at the final round of the season is a decent result, but I had hoped for more at my ‘second home rally’. Our pace was basically okay, but unfortunately I made too many small mistakes to put Sébastien Ogier under any real pressure. I was really hungry to win this rally for a third time in a row, but Séb produced a perfect performance. When he is in this kind of mood, he is virtually unbeatable. Looking back on my first season with Volkswagen, it has definitely been a rollercoaster ride, but I now feel right home in the Polo R WRC. 

"It was clear from the outset that 2013 would be something of a learning year. The way the season started in Monte Carlo, Sweden and my home rally in Finland was hard to take. In contrast, however, were my long-awaited first win in Greece, a further seven podiums and winning the Manufacturers’ World Championship. On top of that, I now have the confidence that comes with starting next season with far more experience."

Andreas Mikkelsen, who spoke to Motortrades Insight earlier this year and was unable to take third due to the speeds of Ford''s Thierry Neuville and Mads Østberg, said: "All in all I am happy with the Rally Great Britain. However, I was obviously hoping for more after the good day yesterday. Having fought my way into fourth place yesterday, just 20 seconds behind Thierry Neuville, I tried to apply as much pressure from the word go today. But then the errors started to creep in and I spun twice. 

"Fifth place is definitely not a bad result in the World Rally Championship, and one you can always be proud of. But you have to say that we missed an opportunity here, given yesterday and the way today has panned out. Still, we can take a lot of positive things from our season. I am already looking forward to 2014, when we are determined to show just what we are capable of."

Wales Rally GB to boost economy as S4C prepares to broadcast coverage in Welsh language The arrival of the prestigious FIA World Rally Championship in North Wales later this year is already delivering significant benefits to a wide range of different key sectors within the Welsh econom

Former BMW Sauber Formula One star Robert Kubica enters 'hugely challenging' Wales Rally GB Robert Kubica will step up to the Citroën DS3 WRC for the final round of the World Rally Championship, competing with co-driver Maciek Baran at the highest level, at the Wales Rally GB from November

Welsh rally star Elfyn Evans aims for glory in home country At just 24, Elfyn Evans is one of rallying’s top prospects for future success. The young Welshman, whose father Gwyndaf Evans was British Rally Champion in 1996, has already underlined his huge pote

James Hunt's Hesketh 308 could make £537,000 at upcoming RM Auctions Monaco sale.  Hesketh Racing was formed in 1972 by the British Peer, Lord Alexander Hesketh, who was a keen motorsport enthusiast with a desire to compete in the sport at the highest level. After two seasons... 

Kia receives environmental badge for use of bio-based plastic in new Soul electric vehicle.  Kia has revealed that the company’s new Soul EV (electric vehicle), which will have its world premiere at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show starting later this week, has achieved UL Environment validation ... 

Crash tests show India's cars are unsafe and in the dark ages compared to Europe.  Britons are lucky to be driving some of the safest cars in the world. In other parts of the world, safety standards are not so high. Every day, 380 lives are lost on the roads of India. It's a blood... 

European autonomous driving research project 'AdaptIVe' begins.  The European research project AdaptIVe (Automated Driving Applications & Technologies for Intelligent Vehicles) has begun at the MobileLifeCampus in Wolfsburg, Germany. It is a consortium o... 

New Vehicle Collision Repair Qualifications brought in to recognise skills of mechanics and bodyshop workers.  Two new IMI Awards qualifications have recently been introduced, targeted at the body repair sector. The level 2 and level 3 Multi-skilled Vehicle Collision Repair Qualifications cover paint, p... 

New 70mpg C-Class C 220 BlueTEC will cost around £30,000, Mercedes reveal.  The new C-Class C 220 BlueTEC will cost from £30,865 for a 7-speed automatic. It has 170hp, accelerates from zero to 62mph in 7.7 seconds and has a claimed combined fuel economy of 70.6mpg.&nbs... 

F1 Pictorial Comparison: McLaren MP4-28 vs McLaren MP4-29 - the bizarre intricacies of dolphin noses, crazy curves .  After McLaren confirmed the departure of Paddy Lowe to Mercedes F1, Tim Goss was appointed Director of Engineering for the Woking-based Formula One team. In the past, he was Chief Engineer for ... 

FIRST DRIVE REVIEW: Volvo V60 D4 R-Design Nav Geartronic.  This is arguably the sexiest looking Volvo estate ever created. And the colour, Rebel Blue, says what Volvo and Swedish design is all about. We test drove the Volvo V60 D4 R-Design Nav last wee... 

Personal photograph taken by Michael Schumacher to be auctioned for Great Ormond Street Hospital.  A personal photograph taken by Michael Schumacher is to be auctioned in London this Friday to raise funds for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.The image of a boat on a lake taken ... 

New Vauxhall Astra gets cleaner 1.6-litre engine with a combined fuel economy of 76.3mpg.  The top-selling Astra is now available with a super-smooth new generation 1.6 CDTi engine, Vauxhall’s cleanest ever mid-size diesel.Previously only available on the Zafira Tourer and the Meriva, the... 

New cars are 27 per cent more fuel efficient than in 2008, as car sales rise in January.  New car registrations were up in January, with the UK automotive industry expecting to see 'moderate, sustainable growth in 2014', according to SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes.Buyers are increasingl... 

Like many popular websites, Motortrades Insight uses some third party widgets that may set and may have already set cookies, for example the Twitter feed on our homepage. For more information see our cookie policy. By clicking close and continue you agree to our use of cookies.