Loeb Wins Again - Just

World champion Sebastien Loeb won the Rallye du Var, final round of the French national championship, in a Citroen C4 despite a near-disastrous time keeping error. Loeb entered the final time control too early, invoking a three-minute penalty, having failed to adjust the due time of arrival following a three minute delay of the start of the final stage. On this occasion his codriver was his wife, Severine, as his regular codriver Daniel Elena was competing himself as a driver of a Citroen C2 R2 Max. Loeb’s nearest rival Brice Tirabassi then made the same error, so suddenly the Belgian driver Pieter Tsjoen momentarily led the event. Tirabassi went off the road on the final day, Loeb passed Tsjoen who was badly affected by heavy rain and fog on the final stage, and won. Loeb dismissed the dramas and emphasized he was very happy with the result. “I would far rather kiss my wife in public on the podium than Daniel...!” Daniel was happy, reaching the end of the event. The Peugeot 207 Super 2000 driver Guillaume Canivenq was announced 2009 French champion.

News from Monza:

Long distance race driver Rinaldo Capello won the Monza Rally and then won the ensuing knock-out stadium racing event, at the wheel of a Citroen C4 WRC. In the single-venue rally he beat Ford driver Valentino Rossi by 17.8 second. Former world champion Marcus Gronholm finished fourth, after being baulked by slower cars on the final stage, which was run in heavy rain. World Rally Cars took the top nine places, Italian champion Paolo Andreucci was the top placed Super 2000 driver while Mario Stagni, Ralliart Italy chief, was the top placed driver of an orthodox Group N car.

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