This year's Wales Rally GB was full of drama from start to finish and provided a fitting finale to this years World Rally Championship.

Coming into the event, the title chase was a two horse race. Citroen's Sebastian Loeb held an eight-point lead over Finnish star Miko Hirvonen in the Abu Dhabi Ford Fiesta, so it was all to play for over four days of tough Welsh stages.

The event provided a new format with the North Wales town of Llandudno providing the start venue and the opening two tests around the headland roads of the Great Orme, not used on our World Championship event since 1981.

It didn't take long before the drama started as Citroen's Sebastian Ogier in the DS3 WRC slid wide on the opening Orme test and connected with the wall, ripping off a front wheel.

Although he would return to super rally the next day, his chance of victory had gone.

One 16 km test in Clocaenog Forest would bring crews back to Llandudno for an overnight halt, darkness, thick fog and slippery roads gave the leading drivers a few heart stopping moments.

Loeb held a slender 0.7 second overnight lead from Hirvonen with Ford team mate Jari Matti Latvala third, three seconds behind.

For full report see Beacon 16/11/11.