Citroen Abu Dhabi’s Meeke claims third in Australia as Ogier secures hat-trick of WRC titles

Frenchman Sebastien Ogier claimed a hat-trick of World Rally Championships when he eased to victory in the Rally of Australia on Sunday.

With three rounds of the WRC remaining, in France, Spain and the UK, Ogier is now on 235 points and cannot be beaten for the 2015 title.

Ogier, alongside French co-driver Julien Ingrassia, beat Volkswagen Polo teammate Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland by 12.3 seconds to take his seventh win of the season.

Citroen Abu Dhabi’s Kris Meeke was in third place, 32.6 seconds behind Ogier.

Latvala led the Frenchman after the first day but once Ogier settled into his rhythm he steadily reeled in the leaders and finished day two 0.3 seconds ahead of Meeke.

He continued his dominance into the final day, winning all four stages on Sunday.

Meeke slipped a place on the final day and was only fourth fastest on the opening stage, allowing Latvala to leapfrog him into second.

Latvala also finished in second place in the championship, with Volkswagen claiming a hat-trick of manufacturers’ titles.

Ogier hugged the bonnet of his car after the final stage and said it had been his best performance of the season.

“(It’s been) an amazing season, the best I have ever done,” he said.

“And this rally win is very significant. It was the most difficult rally to open the roads on.

“On paper it was impossible to win but I was determined. It’s the perfect way to secure the title.”

Ogier became only the fourth man in history to win three or more championships, behind compatriot Sebastien Loeb, who has nine, and Finnish pair Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Makinen, both with four.

Meeke conceded that his Citroen DS couldn’t match the pace of the two Volkswagens on the roads around the New South Wales town of Coffs Harbour.

“For two days I had the advantage of a better road position and now I don’t,” he said after the opening stage.

“That’s the true pace of the Volkswagens. I’m still trying and I can’t do more.”

Latvala also admitted Ogier was too good this week.

“I’m happy to have been so consistent and to have made no mistakes,” he said.

“Maybe on Friday and Saturday morning I was missing a little spark to fight for the victory — it wasn’t enough.

“Seb has done an amazing job. He has been better than me.”

RALLY AUSTRALIA RESULTS

1. Sebastien Ogier-Julien Ingrassia (FRA/VW Polo-R) 2hr 59min 16.4

2. Jari-Matti Latvala-Mikka Anttila (FIN/VW Polo-R) at 12.3 seconds

3. Kris Meeke-Paul Nagle (GBR-IRL/Citroen DS3) 32.6

4. Andreas Mikkelsen-Ola Floene (NOR/VW Polo-R) 38.5

5. Hayden Paddon-John Kennard (NZL/Hyundai i20) 55.1

6. Ott Tanak-Raigo Molder (EST/Ford Fiesta RS) 1:38.0

7. Thierry Neuville-Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL/Hyundai i20) 2:08.3

8. Dani Sordo-Marc Marti (ESP/Hyundai i20) 2.15.2

9. Elfyn Evans-Daniel Barritt (GBR/Ford Fiesta RS) 4.33.7

10. Nasser Al-Attiyah-Matthieu Baumel (QAT-FRA/Ford Fiesta RS) 11:46.5

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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Saturday (UAE kick-off times)

Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)

Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)

Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)

Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)

Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)

Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)

Sunday

Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)

Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)

How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

Honeymoonish

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