LAST ROUND GOES TO OLE CHRISTIAN VEIBY

 

• After finishing third in Monte-Carlo and Finland, the Norwegian Ole Christian Veiby claimed his maiden win in the FIA Junior WRC at Wales Rally GB.
• The Frenchmen Terry Folb and Pierre-Louis Loubet completed the top three at this, the final round of the 2015 season.
• Quentin Gilbert is the 2015 FIA Junior WRC Champion, with Ole Christian Veiby runner-up and Terry Folb third. Gilbert, Veiby and Simone Tempestini dominated the WRC 3 standings in their DS 3 R3-MAXs.

 

In Wales only to try and wrap up the WRC 3 title, Quentin Gilbert was not eligible to score any points in the FIA Junior WRC at this, the seventh and final round of the season.

Having already won the category, he let Simone Tempestini, Ole Christian Veiby and Terry Folb fight it out for the two remaining podium places.

Ole Christian Veiby grabbed the early lead in the FIA Junior WRC after the first stage, contested on decidedly muddy Welsh roads. On Hafren, he finished ahead of Pierre-Louis Loubet, Dean Raftery, Chris Ingram and Simone Tempestini. Forced to change a water pump drive belt on this opening test, Terry Folb lost over eleven minutes.

Ole Christian Veiby went quickest throughout the rest of the morning’s stages, followed by Pierre-Louis Loubet. Dean Raftery – who had been running third – had to retire after rolling his car on SS3. In the afternoon, Pierre-Louis Loubet and Simone Tempestini were next to run into trouble. The Frenchman ripped off a wheel and the Italian suffered a broken brake cable. Ole Christian Veiby ended day with a two-minute lead over second-placed Chris Ingram and was more than six minutes clear of the Belgian William Wagner in third.

The race then took a new turn on day two. After rejoining under Rally 2 regulations, Pierre-Louis Loubet and Simone Tempestini set the leading times, often joined at the front by Terry Folb. Whilst Mohammed Al Mutawaa – fourth at the time – went off, Ole Christian Veiby controlled his pace at the front.

On SS11, William Wagner was the next driver forced to give up hopes of a podium after losing a bolt from the gearbox mounting. The night stages did not alter the order of the standings. Ole Christian Veiby ended the leg with a three-minute lead over Chris Ingram and was more than fourteen minutes clear of third-placed Terry Folb.

With less than forty kilometres left to go, the crews found even more miserable conditions on Sunday morning, with torrential rain and high winds. Pierre-Louis Loubet, Ole Christian Veiby and William Wagner shared the last few stage wins, whilst Chris Ingram – second at the time – and Mohammed Al Mutawaa ran into terminal trouble on a watersplash during the road section before SS18.

Ole Christian Veiby went on to secure his maiden win, finishing over seventeen minutes ahead of Terry Folb, who ended the rally soaked and with no windscreen, after a problem with his wipers. Almost twenty minutes adrift, Pierre-Louis Loubet claimed his second podium finish in the FIA Junior WRC at just 18 years old. William Wagner rounded off the standings.

In the FIA WRC 3 championship, Ole Christian Veiby also claimed victory, as Quentin Gilbert finished third. Thanks to this result, Quentin Gilbert added the WRC 3 crown to his FIA Junior WRC title, finishing ahead of Ole Christian Veiby. Third place in each category went to Terry Folb (JWRC) and Simone Tempestini (WRC 3), respectively.