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Loeb takes seventh WRC championship title in France

Frenchman Sébastien Loeb secured his seventh consecutive world rally championship during his home event, Rallye de France, over the weekend of 1 to 3 October.

The new-look French rally was all about Loeb as the Citroen driver also scored his sixtieth world rally victory and, with the help of team-mate Dani Sordo, also secured the manufacturers’ title for the Citroen Total World Rally Team for the sixth time.

Based in Loeb’s home region of Alsace in northeast France, the eleventh of 13 events on the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship calendar attracted more than 300,000 spectators on the final day with the sheer numbers of fans meaning the final special stage had to be cancelled and the rally actually ended in Loeb’s hometown of Haguenau.

The now seven-time world champion said: “My first world title will always remain the best for me, but this one will have a special place in my heart. We won it after a very difficult race. It’s quite simply mind blowing to cross the finishing line in my hometown, and it’s incredible to see so many people. I don’t think we’ve ever seen so many spectators at a rally.”

Starting number one on the road, Loeb kept the lead from start to finish. With the first day’s conditions wet after overnight rain, Loeb won five of the eight stages to establish an overnight lead of 22.7 seconds. Citroen Junior Team driver Sébastien Ogier battled with Sordo and former WRC champion and Citroen privateer Petter Solberg, with all three drivers spending time in second place. The day finished with Sordo holding second and Ogier third while Ford’s Jari-Matti Latvala moved into fourth with a blistering run on the day’s final stage to bump Solberg to fifth.

Day two bought more rain on the slick wet tarmac stages which were soon covered in mud making it seem more like a gravel event. Loeb’s win in the day’s opening stage consolidated his lead while Sordo and Latvala also took stage wins, with Ogier forced out with a broken damper. Latvala spun late in the day which left the placings after day two as Loeb, Sordo, Solberg and Latvala.

With the third day’s scheduled four special stages being cut to three, there was no time for anyone to catch Loeb and the finishing order remained the same.

Second-placed Sordo said: “First of all, I’d like to congratulate Seb and Daniel who were once again unbeatable this weekend. We too had a good rally and we’re proud to have helped contribute to Citroën’s sixth world title. I hope that I’ll be a prophet in my own country in a couple of weeks!”

Olivier Quesnel, the Citroën Racing Team principal, showed how proud he was of the work of his team and his crews: “What Loeb’s achieved this weekend is quite simply exceptional. Nobody can imagine the pressure on his shoulders. But he managed to ignore it when he had to concentrate on going for the quickest times. He didn’t really need to come first in this rally to become world champion, but the guy’s a born winner and he couldn’t just do the necessary. Once again, he proved that he’s the best driver in the world at present.”

The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team was delighted with Latvala’s improved performance on tarmac, and also paid credit to Loeb’s dominant victory.

“My target was to finish in the top five and I achieved that,” said Latvala, for whom asphalt is his least favourite surface. “However, I’m slightly disappointed because a podium was so close and that shows how much progress I’ve made on asphalt. The conditions were incredibly difficult and I’m delighted to have won four stages on this surface. I can almost call myself an asphalt driver!”

Ford of Europe motorsport chief Gerard Quinn said: “I congratulate Citroen, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena on winning the manufacturers’ and drivers’ world titles today. We look forward to renewing our battle with them next season with our all-new Ford Fiesta RS WRC. However, there are still two rallies remaining this season and we'll do our utmost to end the season on a high note.”

The penultimate round of the series takes WRC teams to Spain for a new-look Rally de España from 21 to 24 October. Based in Salou, the rally returns to its roots as a mixed surface gravel and asphalt event.

Final positions
1. S Loeb/D Elena (FRA) Citroen C4, 3hr 05min 49.3sec
2. D Sordo/D Vallejo (ESP) Citroen C4, 3hr 06min 25.0sec
3. P Solberg/C Patterson (NOR) Citroen C4, 3hr 07min 06.1sec
4. J-M Latvala/M Anttila (FIN) Ford Focus RS, 3hr 07min 18.6sec
5. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Focus RS, 3hr 09min 33.1sec
6. S Ogier/J Ingrassia (FRA) Citroen C4, 3hr 17min 45.2sec
7. F Villagra/D Curletto (ARG) Ford Focus RS, 3hr 20min 04.7sec
8. M Wilson/S Martin (GBR) Ford Focus RS, 3hr 20min 16.2sec
9. H Solberg/S Prévot (NOR) Ford Fiesta S2000, 3hr 22min 38.2sec
10. P Sandell/E Axelsson (SWE) Skoda Fabia S2000, 3hr 23min 01.6sec

2010 FIA WRC Championship for Drivers (after Rally France)
1. S Loeb, 226pts
2. S Ogier, 166pts
3. J-M Latvala, 144pts
4. P Solberg, 133pts
5. D Sordo, 125pts
6. M Hirvonen, 104pts

2010 FIA WRC Championship for Manufacturers (after Rally France)
1. Citroen Total, 388pts
2. BP Ford Abu Dhabi, 277pts
3. Citroen Junior, 193pts
4. Stobart M-Sport Ford, 140pts
5. Munchi's Ford, 54pts