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Loeb’s emotions overflow with Rally GB victory

Frenchman Sébastien Loeb has taken his sixth consecutive World Rally Championship drivers’ title with his victory in the year’s final WRC round in Wales.

Going into Wales Rally GB, Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen had a one point lead over Loeb who trailed the Finnish driver for the latter part of the 12-round championship season. But Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena took a slender but early lead in the three-day Rally Great Britain competition in their Citroen C4 and eventually finished one minute, six seconds clear of Hirvonen after 348 km of competition.

Scoring ten points to Hirvonen’s eight, Loeb took the drivers’ title by just one point and the 35-year-old Citroen World Rally Team driver was filled with emotion as he and Elena crossed the finishing ramp.

“There was so much pressure right up to the end of the rally,” said Loeb amidst a swarm of microphones at the pre-finish area. “We had a good start to the year, but then encountered a few problems. However, we got back on top of things just before this rally. Finally, we’ve managed to win the title again, on the penultimate stage. Mikko didn’t give up and I had to push right to the finish. It’s never easy to compare one title with another, but I think this is the best one in terms of the sporting battle we had.”

This weekend’s victory was the 54th WRC win for the Franco-Monegasque pair, and it included a close battle right to the end as Hirvonen fought to regain time lost earlier in the event. A freak incident with the bonnet of the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team Focus RS World Rally Car on the penultimate stage ended Hirvonen’s challenge after one of the most exciting title races in recent years that covered more than 4040km of flat out driving across the globe.

Following several days of heavy rain, the gravel forest tracks in the Vale of Neath, near Cardiff, were treacherously muddy but Hirvonen threw caution to the wind in his attempt to overhaul the Frenchman and claim the title.
On Sunday, with just a repeat pass through two stages remaining, the deficit between the Citroen and Ford was down to only 18.2sec. Hirvonen was again quicker than his rival through the early sections of the 17.41km Port Talbot test, before his chances evaporated shortly before the midpoint.

“The car landed after a jump and the left pin holding the bonnet came loose. The bonnet began to flap in the wind but the hinge on the right stayed attached. I couldn’t see a thing and stopped to rip off the bonnet. It was such bad luck,” he explained. Hirvonen then started the final stage only 0.9sec ahead of third-placed Dani Sordo but, despite his disappointment at Loeb’s pending victory, he was again fastest through the stage to secure second place overall by 1.0sec.

“I'm frustrated to lose by so little, but happy I was able to fight for the title with a six-time world champion until one stage from the end of the season,” added Hirvonen. “The year turned round for us in the second half and nobody will forget such an exciting end. After the first two stages this morning I thought I could do it, but the time I lost yesterday morning cost me in the end. I scored 11 podiums in 12 rounds, but I needed more wins. My challenge is to beat Loeb before he retires. I’ve learned a lot this year and I will come back stronger and better next year.”

While the battle for the championship title eclipsed what the remainder of the 64-car field were up to, Loeb’s Citroen team-mate Dani Sordo with co-driver Marc Marti, had to settle for third after Hirvonen’s blistering run to the finish. After earlier pace placed him third, former world champion Petter Solberg and Phil Mills finished fourth in their Citroen C4.

Wales Rally GB also saw the conclusion of the Production World Rally Championship (P-WRC) season, with Kiwi team Mark Tapper and Jeff Judd finishing the event second in the Pirelli Star Driver award category. Ralliart New Zealand entry Giorgio Bacco was contesting his first rally since New Zealand last year, and had to tackle his first three stages in 14 months without brakes, after a pipe broke on the first stage. After that problem was solved, the 21-year-old Italian then suffered gearbox and engine problems before retiring.

Martin Prokop (Czech Republic, Mitsubishi) was awarded the P-WRC win from Rally GB, after the original winner Eyvind Brynildsen (Norway, Skoda) was excluded when post-event scrutineering discovered non-confirming brakes. Prokop’s P-WRC victory allows the talented 26-year-old to add P-WRC runner-up to his recently won J-WRC title, bringing to a close a fantastic season for the young driver. Portugal’s Armindo Araújo (Mitsubishi) secured the 2009 P-WRC title.

Teams now have an extended break before the 2010 season, with the first event in a wintery Sweden from 12 to 14 February, with Rally New Zealand set down as the fifth round from 6 to 9 May.

Rally of Great Britain – Final Results
1, Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena, Citroën C4 WRC, 3 hr 16 min 25.4sec
2, Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen, Ford Focus RS WRC, 3 hr 17 min 31.5sec
3, Dani Sordo/Marc Marti, Citroën C4 WRC, 3 hr 17 min 32.5sec
4, Petter Solberg/Phil Mills, Citroën C4 WRC, 3 hr 17 min 53.5sec
5, Henning Solberg/Cato, Menkerud Ford Focus RS WRC, 3 hr 22 min 53.4sec
6, Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin, Ford Focus RS WRC, 3 hr 24 min 11.4sec
7, Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Antilla, Ford Focus RS WRC, 3 hr 28 min 37.3sec
8, Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt, Citroën C4 WRC, 3 hr 30 min 53.2sec

FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers (after 12 of 12 rounds)
1, Sébastien Loeb (F) 93 points
2, Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) 92 points
3, Dani Sordo (E) 64 points
4, Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) 41 points
5, Petter Solberg (N) 35 points
6, Henning Solberg (N) 33 points
7, Matthew Wilson (GB) 28 points
8, Sébastien Ogier (F) 24 points

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers (after 12 of 12 rounds)
1, Citroën Total World Rally Team, 167 points
2, BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, 140 points
3, Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team, 80 points
4, Citroën Junior Team, 47 points
5, Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team, 23 points