Loeb wraps up Spain win

Eurosport - Sun, 05 Oct 16:17:00 2008

Citroen's world champion Sebastien Loeb won the Rally of Spain for the fourth year in a row to extend his championship lead to 12 points with three rounds remaining.

The victory on the asphalt roads near Tarragona was the five-times world champion's ninth in 12 races this season, and the 45th of his career, leaving the Frenchman with 96 points to 84 for Finland's Mikko Hirvonen.

Loeb's Spanish team mate Dani Sordo was second on Sunday, 24.9 seconds adrift of the leader, to anchor Citroen's third one-two in a row this season.

Ford's Hirvonen took third place after switching positions with his obliging Belgian team mate Francois Duval on the penultimate stage.

"It's been a very good rally for me, almost perfect, but it hasn't been easy," Loeb, who won 11 of the 18 stages and led from the start, said.

"Okay, today I was able to slow the speed a little but I had to work to build the time early on."

Hirvonen thanked Duval for his assistance in getting the extra point.

"Third was the best we could get here," added the Finn.

"At the end, I think I found a good rhythm on tarmac but Corsica will be different. The roads are more abrasive, there's more grip and hopefully we can challenge the Citroens a bit more there."

The next rally is Loeb's home French round in Corsica next weekend.

Norway's Petter Solberg was fifth for Subaru, nearly three and half minutes off the pace, with Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala sixth for Stobart Ford and Australian Chris Atkinson seventh for Subaru.

Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen took the final point in a privately-entered Ford.

Citroen moved 27 points clear of Ford in the manufacturers' standings.