Malcolm Wilson says if his M-Sport team fails to wrap up the WRC manufacturers' title later this month, it doesn't deserve it.

After further pulling clear of rivals Hyundai in Spain last weekend, Wilson's squad is all but guaranteed the title win on home ground when the series resumes at Dayinsure Wales Rally GB (26 - 29 October). 

M-Sport heads to the penultimate round with a lead of 85 points over Hyundai and a straightforward hurdle to clear. 

"All we have to do is get one of our cars to the end,"Wilson told wrc.com. "If we do that, then that's enough points to clinch the championship. I think if we don't win the manufacturers' title in the UK for sure we don't deserve it." 

Wilson paid tribute to his drivers after their double podium in Spain, a result that strengthened Sébastien Ogier's grip on the drivers' title and moved Ott Tänak into the runner-up position. 

“We might not have taken the win this weekend, but it almost feels that way," he said. "There was a good battle between Sébastien and Ott but they both knew exactly what they had to do. 

"In the end, Seb made a big step towards the drivers' championship and it's great news that Ott moves ahead of Thierry Neuville in the standings. We know that Ott is going to be quick in Great Britain and I think we'll see a great fight towards the end of the season."

Wilson acknowledged that his team's success to date has outweighed his expectations at the start of the season.
 
“To have our two drivers leading the way is something we never thought possible. It's remarkable what the guys have done this year."

Kris Meeke banished memories of a troubled WRC season to claim his second victory of the year in Spain today as Sébastien Ogier moved closer to a fifth consecutive drivers’ title.

Meeke mastered the final two legs of RallyRACC Catalunya - Rally de España to win by 28.0sec in a Citroën C3, just three rounds after his form sank to such a low that he was dropped from the team.

Ogier fended off team-mate Ott Tänak to claim second by 5.0sec. Title rival Thierry Neuville retired this morning with broken suspension and Ogier can secure the crown at the penultimate round in Britain later this month.

Their M-Sport World Rally Team moved within touching distance of a first manufacturers’ title since 2007. The Ford Fiesta pair need only finish in Britain, irrespective of their overall placings, to take the championship.

Meeke’s strong pace on the opening leg’s gravel roads laid the platform for victory. He swept into the lead yesterday morning when the surface switched to smooth asphalt, and rounded off a dominant display by winning five of today’s six speed tests. 

“It’s not so important how many times you’re knocked down, it’s more important how many times you stand up again,” said Meeke, as he celebrated with wife Danielle and two young daughters [below].

“It’s a special, special win. I remember walking up this road 20 years ago to watch Colin McRae in 1997 in a Subaru. Back then I didn’t even dream I’d drive a rally car here myself.”

Handling problems hampered Ogier but tweaks improved the set-up and he reeled off three stage wins yesterday afternoon. Tänak was handicapped on the asphalt by a gravel-specification gearbox and the Estonian could not catch his colleague.

Tänak moved to second in the standings, a point ahead of Neuville for whom a troubled weekend left him playing ‘catch-up’. He took one risk too many when he entered a left corner too quickly and had to make a deep cut in the following right bend. 

The Belgian hit a stone and broke the front right wheel, leaving his championship dream in tatters. “After yesterday’s problems we had no choice than to push hard and that’s what we did. There are no regrets,” he said.

Juho Hänninen maintained his good form with fourth in a Toyota Yaris, but team-mate Esapekka Lappi crashed out of sixth when he slammed into a barrier. 

Mads Østberg, who led on the first day, was fifth, with Stéphane Lefebvre completing the top six in another C3. A frustrated Elfyn Evans finished seventh after struggling for traction, with WRC 2 winner Teemu Suninen, Jan Kopecký and Ole Christian Veiby filling the leaderboard.

The championship returns to gravel for the penultimate round at Dayinsure Wales Rally GB (26 - 29 October). 

Second place in Spain last weekend was as good as a win for WRC championship leader Sébastien Ogier as he chases a fifth straight drivers’ title.

He was unable to match Kris Meeke’s pace at RallyRACC Catalunya - Rally de España, but capitalised on the final day retirement of Thierry Neuville to open a 37-point lead with two rounds remaining.

“This second place feels like a victory. Even though we didn’t quite have the speed on asphalt to fight for the win, we produced a solid race, making no mistakes,” said the Frenchman.

“Given the characteristics of the rally, we knew that a podium would be a good result and from a mathematical point of view it’s a great achievement for us. We arrived in Catalunya aiming to increase our lead and the outcome is even better than expected.”

After a thrilling title battle, Ogier journeys to Dayinsure Wales Rally GB (26 - 29 October) with a first opportunity to secure the crown before the season-ending Kennards Hire Rally Australia (16 - 19 November).

Opening the road in Britain’s first leg should offer Ogier the best conditions in forests likely to be wet and muddy. Doing the same at the final Coffs Harbour-based encounter would be a big disadvantage with slippery loose gravel coating the roads.

“I don’t want to go to Australia with a small gap and then have to open the road while fighting for the championship. I wanted to score well here and make the final step in GB, this was always the plan in my head,” he added.

Team-mate Ott Tänak’s third place in Spain put their M-Sport squad in a virtually unbeatable position in the manufacturers’ championship. A simple finish in Britain for either Ogier, Tänak or Elfyn Evans, irrespective of the position, would be sufficient.

“The target is clear, to try to make the final step to secure both titles on the next rally,” the Ford Fiesta driver said.

Britain’s Kris Meeke closed on a second world rally victory of the season in Spain on Saturday night.

He led RallyRACC Catalunya - Rally de España by 13.0sec from Sébastien Ogier, whose bid for a fifth consecutive world title looked stronger than ever after main rival Thierry Neuville hit trouble.

Meeke’s only win of a troubled year was in Mexico in March. But he caught his rivals asleep when the action switched to smooth asphalt after a dusty day on dirt yesterday.  

He won the opening speed test to vault from third to first. He controlled his advantage through the remaining six special stages near Salou as a quartet of startled rivals fought furiously for the remaining podium places.

“This morning we were able to catch everyone on the hop. This afternoon was all about not doing anything stupid,” said the Citroën C3 driver.

“I knew that coming off the gravel yesterday we had to catch them early because it’s so close and hard to make a difference on asphalt.” 

Ogier, Neuville, Ott Tänak and Dani Sordo traded places on every stage in a thrilling battle for second, which left the foursome covered by a single second at one point.

Handling issued blighted Ogier’s Ford Fiesta in the morning. Constant tinkering with the set-up paid dividends and a strong afternoon contained three stage wins and gave him a 1.5sec advantage over team-mate Tänak.

The Estonian also overcame handling troubles and had to replace his damaged gearbox with a gravel-specification version. He swiped a concrete block on the inside of a tight bend in the penultimate stage but escaped serious damage.

Neuville’s Hyundai i20 understeered badly this morning but worse followed when its hydraulic system failed and he stopped to make repairs on a liaison section. 

The engine refused to fire up and in his haste to reach the next test on time, Neuville spun and damaged the rear. He was three minutes late, incurring a 30 second penalty and plunging to eighth.

Team-mates Sordo and overnight leader Andreas Mikkelsen hit the same block as Tänak. Sordo [below] retired with broken steering while the impact ripped a wheel from Mikkelsen’s car. The Norwegian, who had led overnight, was unable to match his gravel pace on asphalt and had slipped to sixth. 
   
Juho Hänninen won two stages in a Toyota Yaris to climb from eighth to fourth. He was pursued by Neuville, who recovered to fifth but looks set to yield more points to Ogier in their championship duel.

Esapekka Lappi holds sixth in another Yaris ahead of Mads Østberg, who survived a brush with the concrete. Stéphane Lefebvre, a dispirited Elfyn Evans and Eric Camilli completed the leaderboard.

Six more stages covering 74.26km lie in wait in Sunday’s finale, which is divided into two identical loops of three. The final Santa Marina test forms the live TV Power Stage with bonus points for the fastest five crews.