From the World Rally Championship
Sebastien Ogier has claimed his first World Championship victory by narrowly defeating Sebastien Loeb on Vodafone Rally de Portugal. The Citroen Junior Team driver started the third and final day with a lead of 21.1 seconds and showed a level of maturity that belied his 26-years to hold firm as Loeb tried in vain to get ahead of his countryman. After completing the final sun-baked gravel stage with a lead of 7.7s over Loeb, Ogier knew he would ensure first place by safely negotiating the rally-closing superspecial through the Estadio Algarve near Faro. Roared on by thousands of spectators, Ogier did exactly that and even set a time faster than Loeb, just for good measure, to win by 7.9s. Loeb was fastest on all four of Sunday’s gravel stages but ultimately couldn’t deny Ogier his day in the limelight. Dani Sordo completed a Citroen podium lockout after profiteering from the steering glitch that slowed Petter Solberg on the final morning and demoted the Norwegian to fourth overall heading into the super special. Solberg looked set to take fourth only to clout a water-filled barrier in the superspecial and tip his privately-run Citroen C4 onto two wheels. The delay allowed Mikko Hirvonen, driving a works Ford Focus, to snatch fourth place by 3.7s. Matthew Wilson, who was up against Solberg in the superspecial, overcame brake and steering woes to complete the top six for the Stobart M-Sport team, which lost team-mate Henning Solberg’s similar Focus to an overheating engine on Sunday’s second stage. Ex-Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen was slowed by a handling imbalance on his Citroen Junior Team-run C4 on the opening loop of stages and then a tyre deflation, caused by striking a rock, on stage 16. He finished 10th to claim the final drivers’ championship point. Rally de Portugal classification: 1. Sébastien Ogier (Citroen C4) - 3h51’16’’1 2. Sébastien Loeb (Citroen C4) + 7’’9 3. Dani Sordo (Citroen C4) + 1’17’’6 4. Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Focus) + 1’32’’0 5. Petter Solberg (Citroen C4) + 1’35’’7 6. Matthew Wilson (Ford Focus) + 7’10’’1 7. Mads Ostberg (Subaru Impreza) + 7’28’’3 8. Federico Villagra (Ford Focus) + 10’36’’1 9. Khalid Al Qassimi (Ford Focus) + 10’55’’8 10. Kimi Raikkonen (Citroen C4) + 11’34’’3 etc. Championship: 1. Loeb 126 points, 2. Ogier 88, 3. Hirvonen 76, 4. Latvala 72, 5. P. Solberg 63, etc.
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