Ogier wins Rally of Australia but world title on hold

Ogier wins Rally of Australia but world title on hold

Frenchman Sebastien Ogier won the Rally of Australia on Sunday but his push for a first FIA World Rally Championship title will have to wait until the next leg in France.

Volkswagen driver Sebastien Ogier of France slides his car through a corner in Rally Australia in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in Coffs Harbour on September 14, 2013.

The Volkswagen driver won 19 of the event's 22 stages, including the Power Stage, and finished with a margin of 1min 32sec. over Thierry Neuville of Belgium for his sixth tour victory of the season.

Finland's Mikko Hirvonen finished the rally in third, 2min 02.1sec. behind the winner.

Ogier, 29, was dominant throughout, but his title celebrations were put on ice when a final stage puncture for Hirvonen cost him second place and elevated Thierry Neuville to runner-up.

The extra points for Neuville, allied to two bonus points for taking second in the final Power Stage, meant Ogier fell just mathematically short of the title after four days of gravel competition covering 352.36km on the Coffs Harbour coast of New South Wales.

"The team told me at the finish line that I had missed the title by one point because Mikko had a problem. I tried my best," Ogier said.

"The most important thing is that we did another perfect rally and we thought it was okay for the title, but it can't be written down yet."

Ogier now has three rounds remaining in which to secure the world crown.

"When you do a perfect job like that you expect to get it, but it's going to happen soon," he said.

Hirvonen, of Finland, suffered a flat left-rear tyre on his Citroen DS3 on the 29.44 km second pass through the Shipmans stage.

Neuville's unexpected last-stage ascension in the points standings was enough to deny Ogier's the world championship, which now must wait until round 11 in France on October 3-6.

Hirvonen was mystified by his mishap.

"I have no idea. I honestly have no idea why we had a puncture -- we were in the middle of the road the whole stage," he said.

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