Loeb wins world rally championship
Citroen driver makes it to the top at second attempt
Sebastién Loeb, the thirty year old French racing ace, has become the World Rally Champion at only his second attempt following a stirling drive to second place in this weekends Tour de Course, the Rally of France.
Citroën, which runs Xsara WRC cars for both Loeb and Carlos Sainz, have retained their title as world manufacturer champions, scoring 14 points in Corsica 
thanks to Sainz bringing his Xsara home in third position giving the team an unassailable total of 178 points, 51 ahead of nearest rival Ford with two rallies still be competed.
Loeb’s second place in Corsica was his 11th podium finish of the 14 rallies completed this year, five of which finished in outright victory for the astonishingly consistent Frenchman and his co-driver Daniel Elena.
Loeb celebrated his success with a somersault on the podium, a reminder of his acrobatic background, and as the significance of his win sank in, said,
“Winning the championship as a French driver with a French team on home soil is as good as it gets. To say I’m world champion is very nice. It was tough to keep my focus, but my concentration was okay until five kilometers from the end of the last stage. I don’t know whether I could have caught the Fords this weekend but I started the rally with the goal of winning the title so that was always in my mind. Everyone in the team has worked very hard for this championship. ”
Loeb’s speed on asphalt has been obvious since he first hit the world scene after winning the Super 1600 title in a Citroën Saxo in 2001, but he has evolved into a more complete driver and his consistency this season has been remarkable. Backing up those five wins this year, have been six second places and two fourths proving that no matter what the surface, the Loeb, Elena, Xsara WRC combination is right at the front of the field.
On only one round so far this year has he failed to finish – when an oil-leak caused by hitting a rock put him out while leading in Mexico – a measure of Loeb’s consistency and his Citroën’s reliability.
Loeb’s team-mate Carlos Sainz has won more WRC rallies than anyone else, but the Spanish double World Champion is more than impressed by just how good his young colleague has become. “I predicted in June last year that Loeb would be champion,” said Sainz. “He’s now the complete driver, he’s just good everywhere.”
More good news for Citroën came at the Tour de Course, when Team Manager Guy Frequelin was awarded the Immarsat star of the rally award.
Former co-driver Nicky Grist, who heads the judging panel for the award, said Frequelin had shown a consistent demonstration of leadership and professionalism over the course of the 2004 season. “Guy has been an incredible inspiration in the World Rally Championship this year,” Grist said. “Under his leadership, the team has made the Citroën Xsara the most reliable car and they have gone on to achieve a succession of fantastic results to put them so deservedly at the top of the championship.”
The Citroën team previously won the Inmarsat-backed award in Germany for its team spirit, and Frequelin dedicated his prize to them. “I’m very proud to receive this award,” he said. “But it’s really not for me. It is for all the team, because alone I am nothing. I needed everybody in the team to achieve these results, and I’m very proud of what we have done here and this season.”
Claude Satinet, Sporting Director of Automobiles Citroën, was there to congratulate the whole team, “Citroën Sport achieved their objectives, even before the end of the season. That is very satisfying. As well as the pure result, we must mention the way it was achieved. The team understood during 2003, during its first full Championship, that it was important not to drop any points along the way. Thanks to excellent organization and perseverance, they put in a perfect performance in 2004, of which the race in Corsica is another example.”
Overall classification Rallye de France – Tour de Corse
M. Märtin/M. Park (Ford Focus) 4 h 11 min 51,4 s
S. Loeb/D. Elena (Citroën Xsara) + 2 min 02 s
C. Sainz/M. Marti (Citroën Xsara) + 2 min 55,3 s
M. Grönholm/T. Rautiainen (Peugeot 307) + 3 min 29,1 s
P. Solberg/Ph. Mills (Subaru Impreza) + 5 min 06,3 s
S. Sarrazin/P. Pivato (Subaru Impreza) + 7 min 09,1 s
F. Loix/S. Smeets (Peugeot 307) + 8 min 21,2 s
A. Schwarz/M. Hiemer (Skoda Fabia) + 9 min 08,3 s
T. Gardemeister/P. Lukander (Skoda Fabia) + 9 min 35,3 s
M. Hirvonen/J. Lehtinen (Subaru Impreza) + 11 min 58,2 s
FIA World Manufacturers’ Rally Championship **
1. Citroën, 178 points (2004 World Champion**) – 2. Ford, 127 pts - 3. Subaru, 108 pts – 4. Peugeot, 85 pts.
FIA World Drivers’ Rally Championship **
1. S. Loeb, 108 points (2004 World Champion**) – 2. P. Solberg, 78 pts - 3. M. Märtin, 69 pts – 4. C. Sainz, 67 pts - 5. M. Grönholm, 54 pts - 6. F. Duval, 47 pts – 7. M. Hirvonen, 23 pts - 8. H. Rovanperä, 20 pts – 9. J. Tuohino, 16 pts – 10. F. Loix, 9 pts – 11. D. Carlsson, 6 pts - 12. G. Panizzi, 6 pts – 13. A. Navarra, 5 pts – 14. C. Robert, 4 pts – 15. M. Stohl, 4 pts … etc.
** Results remain provisional subject to FIA confirmation
I'm not a fan of the brand or the driver, but:-
- They've done a fantastic job, and compared to their sister company, have been the model of reliability...and with a car, IIRC, based on the 306!!!
- Loeb, given his short time in the sport, has been a revelation...not the most charismatic driver, but then, neither was M Schumacher for years (and some would say still isn't!).
I would have loved to see Solberg take his second championship, but it was clearly a long shot after the British Rally last year, given Loeb's performance in his first full-year. If the Scooby had been more reliable...?
>> Edited by mcecm on Tuesday 26th October 14:45
mcecm said:
With Ford quitting the scene altogether and Carlos Sainz retiring, it looks like Markko Martin will partner Gronholm at Peugeot and Duval will go to Citroen with Loeb. Assuming it's still Solberg and Hirvonen at Subaru, who is the tip for manufacturers title? I think if Peugeot can get a reliable car then they should win with two decent drivers compared to the others with one good driver and one 'up and coming' driver.
Sorry, I seem to have missed soemthing... when was the anouncement made about Ford quitting WRC?
mcecm said:
With Ford quitting the scene altogether and Carlos Sainz retiring, it looks like Markko Martin will partner Gronholm at Peugeot and Duval will go to Citroen with Loeb. Assuming it's still Solberg and Hirvonen at Subaru, who is the tip for manufacturers title? I think if Peugeot can get a reliable car then they should win with two decent drivers compared to the others with one good driver and one 'up and coming' driver.
I wouldn't bank on Hirvonen having a guaranteed ride. Isn't Subaru having a small series of competitions to find an upcoming star...and Hirvonen has been entered in it alongside the wannabes. Doesn't say much for their confidence in him.
Ta.
ricardo g said:
Sorry, I seem to have missed soemthing... when was the anouncement made about Ford quitting WRC?
I was jumping the gun a bit! They're expected to quit but havn't said so yet. They have released Duval for next year though so it's looking likely.
wrc.com said:
Sainz has been weighing up whether to retire from the sport or compete in a limited selection of European rallies in 2005 throughout the course of this year, but finally announced today that he will leave rallying to spend more time with his family. His decision could put the seal on the various moves of the driver market for next year, with Ford drivers Markko Martin and Francois Duval hotly tipped to fill the second seats at Peugeot and Citroen respectively.
traction said:
I wouldn't bank on Hirvonen having a guaranteed ride. Isn't Subaru having a small series of competitions to find an upcoming star...and Hirvonen has been entered in it alongside the wannabes. Doesn't say much for their confidence in him.
Ta.
I don't really rate Hirvonen so wouldn't be surprised to see him go.
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