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WRC: Photo gallery of Sebastien Loeb's victory in Argentina

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Khatir Soltani
French rally driver Sebastien Loeb cancelled out an overnight deficit of 47.7s to Citroen team-mate Sebastien Ogier to win Rally Argentina for the sixth time in his career.

Ogier appeared to be in control with four stages left to run only to roll on the day’s first stage. He was able to complete the run with the fifth fastest time but his lead had been trimmed to 21.5s. Of greater significance, however, was the damage he’d inflicted on his Citroen DS3 WRC, which included the loss of power steering.

With three stages before the finish and no service, Ogier was unable to prevent further time loss.

Photo: Citroën Sport

Despite starting the event-closing Power Stage 3.3s up on Loeb, he slipped to third in the overall classification, 7.3s behind winner Loeb and 4.9s down on Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen, who also moved ahead on the 3.90-kilometre test.

Finland’s Hirvonen started the final morning in second position in his Fiesta RS WRC but slipped behind Loeb on stage 16. However, he was able to recapture the runner-up spot when he moved ahead of Ogier on the final stage.

Ogier had been on course for his third victory of 2011 at the start of the day but had to be content with third place at the end.

Petter Solberg made up for the disappointment of his power steering failure on Saturday afternoon, which cost him a shot at victory, by claiming his first Power Stage win of the season to finish in fourth overall in his privateer DS3 WRC and earn three bonus points.

In the standings, Loeb is first with a total of 126 points, leading Hirvonen (113), Ogier (96) and Latvala (74).

Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
As a car enthusiast, he tests and compares vehicles from different categories through the eyes of the consumer, ensuring relevant and objective reviews.
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
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  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada