Karlstad, Sweden - Triple world champion Sebastien Ogier has won the Rally of Sweden for the third time in four years.
The French Volkswagen driver won six of the 12 programmed special stages and the power stage to finish 29.8s ahead of New Zealand's Hayden Paddon in a Hyundai and consolidate his place atop the drivers' championship.
Weather too good so WRC Sweden stages cut
Norway's Mads Ostberg took third in a Ford Fiesta, a further 25.8s off the pace.
“I'm a lucky man, it's been a fantastic weekend!” beamed Ogier, who previously triumphed in the Karlstad-based event in 2015 and 2013. “We push ourselves to experience this. When you win a rally you can only be happy.
“This weekend wasn't the easiest, I had to go on the attack and take a lot of risks.”
‘TERRIBLE CONDITIONS’
Ogier said Saturday had been one of the hairiest days of his rallying career in testing conditions on forest surfaces.
“At the start of the week, conditions were terrible,” he said. “There was hardly any snow. We thought it'd be impossible to stage a rally. The cold arrived a bit later but the organisers did a very good job to allow us to take part in this great race.
“I wasn't scared but I knew it would be tough.”
Ogier now has 56 points in the drivers' standings, ahead of Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen (33), with Ostberg in third on 27.