Motor sport historians have been reaching for the record books this weekend as an unprecedented fifth consecutive win in Germany for double World Rally Champion, Sébastien Loeb, helped equal the existing record of 26 career wins belonging to rally legend and former Citroën driver, Carlos Sainz.
The remarkable German success extended Loeb’s lead at the top of the driver’s standings to 33 points. Spaniard Dani Sordo finished just 33.8 seconds behind the Frenchman to secure a one-two for Kronos Total Citroën WRT, helping to extend the team’s lead in the manufacturers’ championship to a healthy 23 points.
Sébastien Loeb commented: “I love the Rally of Germany and it has always been good to me. I want to really savour the feeling of equalling Carlos Sainz’s record number of wins. I’ve never hidden the fact that this is a record I really wanted, because of the immense respect I have for Carlos and his career. Yet it’s still a benchmark I want to beat.”
Citroën’s success in Germany did not stop with Loeb and Sordo. Ulsterman Kris Meeke in his C2 Super 1600 was on hand to take first place in the Junior World Rally Championship. Emulating Sordo’s success for Citroën last year, the win was a first for Meeke in 2006 and puts him in fifth position with the JWRC reaching its final stages.
Kris Meeke commented: “It’s a great feeling. Today’s win is a big morale booster and puts us in a better position as the championship enters its final phase. There are six drivers split by just 10 points and the title will be decided in the last three rounds of the series. It’s up to us now to follow up this weekend’s performance with another top finish next week in Finland.”
Rally of Germany - Final Leaderboard
1 S.Loeb/D.Elena (Citroën Xsara) 3h 28 min 34.1 secs2 D.Sordo/M.Marti (Citroën Xsara) + 33.8 secs3 M.Grönholm/T.Rautianen (Ford Focus) + 2 min 19.2 secs4 T.Gardemeister/J.Honkanen (Citroën Xsara) + 2 min 33.8 secs5 M.Stohl/I.Minor (Peugeot 307) + 4 min 25.9 secs
FIA World Rally Championship after round 9 - Manufacturers
1. Kronos Total Citroën WRT, 114 pts – 2. BP Ford WRT, 91 pts – 3. Subaru WRT, 63pts –
4. OMV Peugeot Norway, 41pts – 5. Red Bull-Škoda, 22pts – 6. Stobart VK/M-Sport Ford RT, 20pts
FIA World Rally Championship after round 9 - Drivers
1. S.Loeb (FRA), 84 pts – 2. M.Grönholm (FIN), 51 pts – 3. D.Sordo (E), 41 pts – 4.M.Stohl (A), 24pts – 5. M.Hirvonen (FIN), 21 pts – 6. P.Solberg (N), 20pts – 7.T.Gardemeister (FIN), 16 pts - 8.G.Galli (I), 11 pts – 9. X.Pons (E), 11 pts
*All results subject to FIA confirmation.
