Sebastien Ogier claimed victory in the Rally of Sweden yesterday as nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb had to be content with second place after a costly crash.

Volkswagen driver Ogier went into the final day 26.9 seconds clear of former Citroen team-mate Loeb, who kept the pressure on with victories in the opening three stages.

However, Loeb was made to pay for an error on stage 21 in Finnskogen when he crashed into a snow bank and so was unable to make any more inroads into the deficit which finished at 41.8 seconds.

Ford Fiesta RS driver Mads Ostberg was third, as the Norwegian came in 42.7sec behind Loeb.

Frenchman Ogier, 29, went on to claim three bonus points for the World Rally Championship standings when he also won the Power Stage, by 0.9sec from team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala.

Volkswagen, who have never won the world championship, are making their return to the series this season.

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