Sebastien Loeb (Citroën DS3) won rally Italia Sardinia after he almost led the race from start to finish.
The reigning world champion, who had to open the road on Saturday and Sunday, managed to maintain his lead until the end ahead of Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Fiesta). The Finn took second place just 11,2 seconds behind, after he reduced his handicap by about ten seconds in the last day. Moreover, Hirvonen took a three points bonus by winning the Power Stage on Sunday afternoon.
After he was delayed by a turbo failure on Friday, Petter Solberg (Citroen DS3) had a great catch up, and moved up in order to the third position overall. Sébastien Ogier (Citroen DS3) stood in 3rd position on Saturday evening, but he lost precious time after a suspension failure in the last day.
Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta Stobart) kept 5th position ahead of the Mini driven by Dani Sordo. The british team had good debuts in WRC in Sardinia, especially with the great performance of Kris Meeke at the beginning of the rally, where he stood in 4th position overall before he went off after a throttle problem.
Ott Tanak (Ford Fiesta S2000) took a great 7th position overall, and the S2000 win ahead of Juho Hanninen (Ford Fiesta S2000).
Rally Italia Sardinia - Final classification:
1. Sébastien Loeb (Citroen DS3 R3) in 3h54’40’’9
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Fiesta) + 11’’2
3. Petter Solberg (Citroen DS3 R3) + 23’’8
4. Sébastien Ogier (Citroen DS3 R3) + 1’31’’5
5. Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta) + 2’42’’6
6. Dani Sordo (Mini Countryman) + 3’27’’6
7. Ott Tanak (Ford Fiesta S2000) + 7’10’’9
8. Juho Hanninen (Skoda Fabia S2000) + 7’37’’6
etc.
Championship:
1. Loeb 100 points, 2. Hirvonen 93, 3. Ogier 81, 4. Latvala 68, 5. P. Solberg 46, 6. Ostberg 38, 7. Wilson 24, 8. Raikkonen 18, etc.
The reigning world champion, who had to open the road on Saturday and Sunday, managed to maintain his lead until the end ahead of Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Fiesta). The Finn took second place just 11,2 seconds behind, after he reduced his handicap by about ten seconds in the last day. Moreover, Hirvonen took a three points bonus by winning the Power Stage on Sunday afternoon.
After he was delayed by a turbo failure on Friday, Petter Solberg (Citroen DS3) had a great catch up, and moved up in order to the third position overall. Sébastien Ogier (Citroen DS3) stood in 3rd position on Saturday evening, but he lost precious time after a suspension failure in the last day.
Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta Stobart) kept 5th position ahead of the Mini driven by Dani Sordo. The british team had good debuts in WRC in Sardinia, especially with the great performance of Kris Meeke at the beginning of the rally, where he stood in 4th position overall before he went off after a throttle problem.
Ott Tanak (Ford Fiesta S2000) took a great 7th position overall, and the S2000 win ahead of Juho Hanninen (Ford Fiesta S2000).
Rally Italia Sardinia - Final classification:
1. Sébastien Loeb (Citroen DS3 R3) in 3h54’40’’9
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Fiesta) + 11’’2
3. Petter Solberg (Citroen DS3 R3) + 23’’8
4. Sébastien Ogier (Citroen DS3 R3) + 1’31’’5
5. Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta) + 2’42’’6
6. Dani Sordo (Mini Countryman) + 3’27’’6
7. Ott Tanak (Ford Fiesta S2000) + 7’10’’9
8. Juho Hanninen (Skoda Fabia S2000) + 7’37’’6
etc.
Championship:
1. Loeb 100 points, 2. Hirvonen 93, 3. Ogier 81, 4. Latvala 68, 5. P. Solberg 46, 6. Ostberg 38, 7. Wilson 24, 8. Raikkonen 18, etc.