Citroën’s Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena maintained their command of the WRC championship with another flawless drive during the Brother Rally of New Zealnd over the weekend. Despite a tussle with teammates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen, there was no doubt that the French duo was once again unbeatable – marking a record 72nd victory for Loeb.
“Once again, conditions were difficult but we managed to secure a one-two finish. It’s true that the first half of the season has been fantastic, with five wins out of seven rallies,” Loeb, the defending champion said.
After a rocky start to the season, Hirvonen has found his feet with the French team and is getting the hang of the DS3 WRC, having proved a challenge to eight-time champion Loeb is the last three events.
“It wasn’t a very exciting day, but we had to stay focussed to avoid making a mistake. This is another good result for the team; it concludes the first part of the season, during which I have learned a lot. I am pleased with how the first seven rallies have gone,” the Finn admitted.
Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson also did well to make up for a minor error on day one to finish third for Ford, earn bonus points during the power stage, and keep Hirvonen within sight in the championship standings.
Evgeny Novikov and Denis Giraudet placed fourth for Stobat M-Sport, and the team looked to have a complete top five finish, until Ott Tanak and Kuldur Sikk rolled their Fiesta WRC. “Unfortunately, I was caught out on a really fast section and we went off the road,” Tanak admitted.
The WRC circus now heads into its mid-season summer break before the action starts once again with the Neste Oil Rally of Finland, which happens from 2nd – 4th August. With Loeb in a clear lead, the writing is perhaps on the wall for another record title, with three of the remaining rounds being predominantly asphalt events – the Frenchman’s specialty.
Standings (Drivers Championship)
1. Sebastien Loeb – 145
2. Mikko Hirvonen – 107
3. Petter Solberg – 90
4. Mads Ostberg – 80
5. Evgeny Novikov – 55
6. Jari-Matti Latvala – 54
7. Martin Prokop – 36
8. Thierry Neuville – 32
Standings (Manufacturers Championship)
1. Citroën Total World Rally Team – 237
2. Ford World Rally Team – 144
3. M-Sport World Rally Team – 103
4. Qatar World Rally Team – 47
5. Citroën Junior World Rally Team – 42
6. Adapta World Rally Team – 27
7. Mini WRC Team – 26
8. Brazil World Rally Team – 16
