Volkswagen Motorsport leads 2016 WRC at halfway point

rally poland volkswagen polo r wrc side

Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger (N/N) have produced an outstanding display in Rally Poland to take their 2nd victory in the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).

The duo in the Volkswagen Polo R WRC finished just ahead of runners-up Ott Tänak/Raigo Mõlder (EST/EST, M-Sport-Ford) in an exciting finale, in which they benefitted from Tänak’s last-minute misfortune, as the long-time leader lost time due to a puncture.

 

rally polant mikkelsen and jaeger

Victory sees Mikkelsen/Jæger close the gap to fellow Volkswagen pair Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), who finished 6th, in the race for the world championship. As the season reaches the halfway point after seven of 14 rounds, Ogier/Ingrassia and Volkswagen head to the coming rally in Finland (28–31 July 2016) on top of the overall standings.

Mikkelsen/Jæger are second, 51 points behind the three-time world champions. Volkswagen maintained a lead of 61 points over its closest rival Hyundai in Poland. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) ended the Rally Poland in fifth place in the third Polo R WRC.

rally poland volkswagen polo r wrc rear

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Poland – Final Results*

01. Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger (N/N), Volkswagen, 2h 37m 34.4s
02. Ott Tänak/Raigo Mõlder (EST/EST), Ford, + 26.2s
03. Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (NZ/NZ), Hyundai, + 28.5s
04. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Hyundai, + 29.3s
05. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen, + 33.8s
06. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen, + 40.3s
07. Craig Breen/Scott Martin (IRL/GB), Citroën, + 2m 01.4s
08. Mads Østberg/Ola Fløene (N/N), Ford, + 3m 04.6s
09. Eric Camilli/Benjamin Veillas (F/F), Ford, + 5m 23.1s
10. Teemu Suninen/Mikku Markkula (FIN/FIN), Škoda, + 5m 53.3s

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Poland – Power Stage Results

01. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen    4m 47.0s
02. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen    + 0.7s
03. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Hyundai    + 1.5s

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Overall Standings*

Drivers’ Championship
1. Sébastien Ogier, 143 points; 2. Andreas Mikkelsen, 92; 3. Hayden Paddon, 72; 4. Jari-Matti Latvala, 68; 5. Dani Sordo, 68; 6. Mads Østberg, 62; 7. Thierry Neuville, 61; 8. Ott Tänak, 52; 9. Kris Meeke, 26; 10. Eric Camilli, 24

Co-drivers’ Championship

1. Julien Ingrassia, 143 points; 2. Anders Jæger, 92; 3. John Kennard, 72; 4. Miikka Anttila, 68; 5. Marc Martí, 68; 6. Ola Fløene, 62; 7. Nicolas Gilsoul, 61; 8. Raigo Mõlder, 52; 9. Paul Nagle, 26; 10. Benjamin Veillas, 24

Manufacturers’ Championship

1. Volkswagen Motorsport, 196 points; 2. Hyundai Motorsport, 135; 3. M-Sport, 100; 4. Volkswagen Motorsport II, 99; 5. Hyundai Motorsport N, 78; 6. DMACK, 58; 7. Jipocar Czech National Team, 18; 8. Yazeed Racing, 6

* Provisional.

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