WRC Press Release
Frenchman Sebastien Loeb held his nerve through the final stage this afternoon to take a sensational debut victory for the Citroen Total team on Rally Norway.
Loeb led from the front - as first car on the road on all three days - to finish the rally 9.8sec ahead of the man in second place, Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen. Despite a last stage scare, Mikko's team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala finished third, ensuring both Ford's works-team entries made the podium.
Henning Solberg was the best placed Norwegian driver, bringing his VK M-Sport Ford Focus home in fourth. Loeb's Citroen Total team-mate Dani Sordo rounded off the top five places in his C4 WRC. Petter Solberg was sixth on his first event with his own rally team and was delighted to finish in the points on his home rally.
Loeb's victory was the 49th of his record breaking WRC career and gives him a perfect winning record on the two rallies so far this year. As he fights for an unprecedented sixth consecutive WRC drivers' title, the C4 WRC driver leads the drivers' standings on 20 points, six ahead of Mikko Hirvonen in second.
Sweden's Patrick Sandell (Skoda Fabia) won the Production-class category on Rally Norway today, taking his first P-WRC victory and the first for a Super 2000 specification rally car.
Frenchman Sebastien Loeb held his nerve through the final stage this afternoon to take a sensational debut victory for the Citroen Total team on Rally Norway.
Loeb led from the front - as first car on the road on all three days - to finish the rally 9.8sec ahead of the man in second place, Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen. Despite a last stage scare, Mikko's team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala finished third, ensuring both Ford's works-team entries made the podium.
Henning Solberg was the best placed Norwegian driver, bringing his VK M-Sport Ford Focus home in fourth. Loeb's Citroen Total team-mate Dani Sordo rounded off the top five places in his C4 WRC. Petter Solberg was sixth on his first event with his own rally team and was delighted to finish in the points on his home rally.
Loeb's victory was the 49th of his record breaking WRC career and gives him a perfect winning record on the two rallies so far this year. As he fights for an unprecedented sixth consecutive WRC drivers' title, the C4 WRC driver leads the drivers' standings on 20 points, six ahead of Mikko Hirvonen in second.
Sweden's Patrick Sandell (Skoda Fabia) won the Production-class category on Rally Norway today, taking his first P-WRC victory and the first for a Super 2000 specification rally car.