Motorsport: Ogier wins in France, Solberg disqualified

Citroen driver Sebastien Ogier rekindled his bid for a first world championship title by winning the Rally of France while former champion Petter Solberg was controversially disqualified.

Overnight leader Ogier finished six seconds ahead of Spaniard Dani Sordo in a Mini Cooper with Norway's Solberg third, over a minute off the pace, in his privateer Citroen.

But Solberg, the 2003 world champion, was later disqualified when his car was found to be four kilos underweight.

"We don't understand, we weighed the car many times. It is a catastrophe for Petter and our team because we have already had problems with a budget to finish the season," team manager Ken Rees told AFP.

The decision meant that Ford Focus driver Mikko Hirvonen was promoted to third in the race standings and now has 196 points in the championship standings, the same as leader Sebastien Loeb with two races left in Spain and Wales.

The 27-year-old Ogier claimed his seventh rally victory and is three points behind Loeb and Hirvonen.

"It was a very long weekend with a lot of pressure," said Ogier before Solberg's disqualification.

"Dani and Petter made life difficult for me, it was hard to take the rally lead and hold it. I feel relieved and happy to have managed this race well without taking too many risks.

"It was difficult at the end because there was a lot of pressure after the problem for Seb (Loeb). It's very important for the championship but now I must do two good rallies."

Loeb, chasing an eighth world title, was forced out of his home town event with engine problems on Friday.

Ogier won 10 special stages and gained a bonus point by finishing third in the closing Power Stage, won by Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala.

It was his first win on home soil and his fifth this season after Portugal, Jordan, Greece and Germany. Ogier also won in Portugal and Japan last year on his way to fourth place in the overall world championship series.

Mini are back competing in the world rally championship after a lengthy absence.

"Two rallies on tarmac and two podiums is amazing and feels like a victory," Sordo, Loeb's former Citroen teammate, who has finished on the podium 30 times, told WRC.com.

"It's an incredible result, very nice and in the end I am very happy."

- AAP