French rally driver Sébastien Loeb snatched the World Rally Championship by a single point last weekend in a dramatic final rally of the season in Wales. Starting the Wales Rally GB a point behind Mikko Hirvonen, Loeb held on to the 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."
Originally a gymnast, Loeb also raced in Le Mans and Formula One during his racing career.