SEBASTIEN LOEB WINS UNPRECEDENTED SIXTH CONSECUTIVE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

SIX-ENSATIONAL – SEBASTIEN LOEB WINS UNPRECEDENTED SIXTH CONSECUTIVE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Sébastien Loeb snatched the World Rally Championship by a single point at the weekend in a dramatic final rally of the season in Wales. Starting the Rally of Great Britain a point behind Mikko Hirvonen, Loeb held his nerve to lead from start to finish to secure a famous victory, his 54th overall, and a historic sixth consecutive World Rally Championship Drivers’ title.

Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena’s triumph, their seventh of the season, capped off a successful year for the Citroën Total World Rally Team who wrapped up the Manufacturers’ title at the penultimate rally in Spain three weeks ago.

Sébastien Loeb commented, “There was so much pressure right up to the end of the rally. It’s never easy to compare one title with another, but I think this is the best one in terms of the sporting battle we had. This was the final rally and we couldn’t afford to get it wrong. Everybody expected us to win, but I can tell you that nothing was certain until we reached the finish.”

Dani Sordo, who took third place in Wales and third overall in the 2009 World Rally Championship commented, “When we got to within nine tenths of Mikko in the penultimate stage, we told ourselves we had to give it a go and we pushed to the limit. We believed we could do it, but he managed  to hold out. I’m satisfied with a third-place finish in the championship, and that I made a real contribution to Citroëns’s success. We’ve had another very good season. 

Citroën UK’s Managing Director, Gary Savage, commented, "Three weeks after winning the Manufacturers’ title, we’ve rounded off this extraordinary season with the Drivers’ title too. As we celebrate Citroën’s 90th anniversary year we now have the best team and best driver and co-driver in the World Rally Championship. Rallying fits perfectly with Citroën’s strategy; it’s an integral part of the brand’s DNA and we are already looking forward to 2010 where we hope to secure a sixth constructors title for Citroën and a seventh consecutive title for Sébastien.”

FINAL LEADERBOARD ON RALLY GB*

1. Loeb/Elena (Citroën C4)                                       3h16min 25.4s
2. Hirvonen/Lehtinen (Ford Focus)                            +1min 6.1 
3. Sordo/Marti (Citroën C4)                                      +1min 7.1
4. P.Solberg/Mills (Citroën C4)                                 +1min 28.1s
5. H.Solberg/Menkerud (Ford Focus)                        +6min 28.0s