MOTORSPORT: VW clean sweep in Monte

Volkswagen has made a perfect start to its defence of the rally titles it has won the past two years, filling all three podium positions on the Monte Carlo Rally.

VW's lead driver, Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, has now equaled the 25 wins in the World Rally Championship of late Scotsman Colin McRae.

American-based Australian Ryan Briscoe co-drove the Chevrolet Corvette that has taken the honours in the GT Le Mans category of the Daytona 24 Hours in Florida and finished fifth overall.

New Zealander Scott Dixon shared the Ford-engined Chip Ganassi Racing car that narrowly won the classic outright from another, Chev-powered Daytona prototype.

A Porsche 911 that Kiwi V8 Supercar star Shane Van Gisbergen shared was only seven seconds away from victory in the GT Daytona class and was 14th overall in the field of 53 cars, while the Aston Martin Vantage that Australian James Davison was driving classified 31st overall.

Meanwhile, the French driver who was third in Australia's first Formula Grand Prix in Adelaide in 1985, Philippe Streiff, has apologised to the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) president Jean Todt and medical chief Gerard Saillant for remarks he admitted were defamatory.

And 16-year-old Ferrari Academy driver Lance Stroll is running away with the Toyota open-wheeler series in New Zealand, although Kiwis won two of the weekend's three races at Teretonga in Invercargill.

'Magical' victory for Ogier as Loeb fluffs it    
Not only did Sebastien Ogier see off the challenge of his nine-time world champion countryman Sebastien Loeb in the Monte Carlo Rally, but VW's trifecta equaled a feat of Renault-Alpine, Lancia, Audi and Citroen in the snow and ice of the world's most demanding rally.

It was VW's 23rd victory since entering the WRC in 2013 with its Polo R and the 11th time it has had more than one car on the podium – but its first clean sweep since last year's Rally Australia.

Ogier finished almost a minute ahead of Finnish teammate Jari-Matti Latvala on The Monte, both of them driving the new-model Polo, while Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen was almost another 75 seconds back in third in last year's model.

Ogier battled with Loeb, who made a one-off return after 15 months away from the WRC, in the early stages until the sport's most successful driver, and seven-time victor on The Monte, hit a rock when he skidded on the black ice and broke the left rear suspension on his Citroen DS3.

It was Ogier's third win in the event, and second straight. He said it had been one of the most difficult rallies he had contested but that the atmosphere was "magical".

"It's the most important rally of the season. The weather makes it a huge challenge, but the satisfaction is great when you make it," said Ogier, who grew up in Gap, the town that hosted the rally headquarters.

Norwegian Mads Ostberg was the highest Citroen finisher in fourth, almost 2¾ minutes behind Ogier, with the Hyundai i20s of Belgian Thierry Neuville and Spaniard Dani Sordo within a second of each other, but another half a minute back, in fifth and sixth.

Loeb, who had set the fastest time on three early stages and clocked two more after he was out of contention for victory, wound up eighth – but more than three minutes behind the first Ford Fiesta, of Welshman Elfyn Evans.

Northern Irishman Kris Meeke won the final Powerstage in a Citroen but finished 10th overall.

Ford power pips Chevvy in Daytona classic
This year's victory in the Daytona 24-Hour was the sixth in America's major endurance race for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Ganassi's Riley-Ford EcoBoost Daytona prototype took the chequered flag 1.3 seconds ahead of the second-placed Coyote-Chevrolet prototype after a 20-minute final sprint following 18 safety-car interventions.

New Zealander Scott Dixon was partnered in the victorious car by one of his IndyCar teammates, Brazilian Tony Kanaan, and NASCAR racers Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson.

The Chevrolet Corvette C7.R which Ryan Briscoe co-drove held on to win the GT Le Mans category ahead of a BMW Z4.

One of Briscoe's teammates was Jan Magnussen, the Danish ex-F1 driver and father of Kevin, who raced in F1 for McLaren last year but has been relegated to tester this year with the return there of Fernando Alonso. The third driver in the Corvette was Spaniard Antonio Garcia.

Streiff realises he's in strife, so suddenly he's sorry
Within a day of legal action being instituted over his comments about the FIA's panel that investigated Jules Bianchi's crash in last year's Japanese Grand Prix, Philippe Streiff retracted his accusations against Jean Todt and Professor Gerard Saillant.

Streiff, who has been wheelchair-bound since an accident in Brazil a quarter of a century ago, had suggested the 10-member panel comprised FIA allies to ensure the organisation, the world governing body of motorsport, was cleared of any blame for the Suzuka accident which has left 25-year-old Bianchi with severe head injuries.

Streiff's retraction came in a statement issued via the FIA.

"I let myself get carried away in front of the camera," Streiff said.

"I am aware that I made insulting and defamatory comments about Jean Todt, Gerard Saillant and the FIA, which I sincerely regret.

"I refute and take back these accusations.

"I ask Jean Todt and Gerard Saillant, who are well aware of my health problems, to excuse me.

"I regret having said things about them that are totally out of line with the consideration that they both deserve."

Kiwis Brendon Leitch and Jamie Conroy won two of the weekend's three races at Invercargill's Teretonga circuit, while Stroll was handed the other after Indian Arjun Maini and Frenchman Brandon Maisano were relegated by 10-second penalties.

Stroll, son of the billionaire who has been tipped as a potential buyer of an F1 team and even a stake in the F1 business, has been on the podium in five of the six races so far.

Conroy, the reigning NZ Formula Ford champion, led all 15 laps of the second, reverse-grid race at Teretonga from pole position, while Leitch was relegated from third to fifth by a 10-second penalty for jumping the start.

The 17-year-old Leitch then led every lap of the third race at his home track from pole to win for Victory Motor Racing, ending the dominance of M2 Competition in the series.

Australian Thomas Randle, winner of the national Formula Ford series this side of the Tasman last year, was eighth in two of the Teretonga races and 11th in the other, driving for ETEC Motorsport.

The series now moves on Hampton Downs on NZ's North Island for the third of five rounds, with Stroll 88 points ahead of Maini, 399 to 311, with Leitch third on 247 points.

Australian V8 Supercars' investigation officer Jason Bargwanna had two more wins in the NZ Touring Cars at Teretonga, racing a Toyota Camry.