Burns out but Peugeot triumph

Peugeot added the 2002 World Rally Championship to the titles it won in 2000 and 2001 as soon as Ford’s Markko Martin threw his car off the road on stage 14 of the Rally of New Zealand today.

Although the crown can’t be formally confirmed until season’s end (teams can always have points deducted retrospectively for infringing the rules), there are no other mathematical permutations that can deny the team a well-deserved title.