Spain was the French legend’s 79thWRC win and the 99thfor Citroën, which had not topped the podium since this time last year. In an intense climax to the four-day, mixed-surface event, he edged defending title-holder Ogier – himself Citroën-bound for 2019 - in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta by 2.9sec. Ogier’s teammate Elfyn Evans scraped into third place by just half a second at the end of 332 kilometres when Neuville broke a wheel on the final stage. Loeb had been third overnight but charged into the lead by winning Sunday’s opening two stages as an inspired tyre choice reaped rewards. The asphalt roads dried quickly after overnight rain and he was the only front-running driver to gamble on Michelin’s hard-compound tyres, which provided better grip than the softer option favoured by his rivals. Loeb threw away vital seconds with a spin in the penultimate test to allow Ogier to close, but held on through the final 14.50km stage for his ninth Spanish win. “The information we had from the weather team was right. The roads were drying and I knew if I used hard tyres in these conditions I could be fast,” he said..@SebastienLoeb and @DanosElena both have their own way to celebrate!#WRC #c3WRC pic.twitter.com/drVzPjjHOh
— Citroën Racing (@CitroenRacing) October 28, 2018
“To win after almost six years is incredible, but to do so in a battle like this, where you only discover after the finish line that you have won, is amazing. I never believed I would win again. “Right now, given how the rally panned out, I'd be tempted to say it's perhaps my greatest win and I’m delighted to secure what is a richly-deserved result for the team." Tyre-choice errors early in the event cost Ogier dearly, but this season’s remarkable title fight swung back in his favour when Neuville hit a stone close to the finish and slipped to fourth. Spain’s Dani Sordo was a further 1.6sec behind in fifth, while early leader Tänak recovered to sixth after a puncture in his Toyota Yaris on Saturday. The Estonian is 23 points adrift of Ogier and with a maximum 30 available in Australia, his hopes hang by a thread. A variety of ticket options is available for Kennards Hire Rally Australia, including a $99 Get Me Everywherepass with adult access to all stages over three days. Final results, RallyRACC Catalunya Rally de España (WRC round 12 of 13): 1 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C3 WRC) 3h12m08.0s 2 Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +2.9s 3 Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +16.5s 4 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +17.0s 5 Dani Sordo/Carlos Del Barrio (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +18.6s 6 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC) +1m03.9s 7 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Toyota Yaris WRC) +1m16.6s 8 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +1m26.4s 9 Craig Breen/Scott Martin (Citroen C3 WRC) +2m07.0s 10 Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jaeger (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +2m48.2s FIA WRC drivers’ standings: 1 Sébastien Ogier 204 2 Thierry. Neuville 201 3 Ott Tänak 181 4 Esapekka Lappi 110 5 Jari-Matti Latvala 102 6 Andreas Mikkelsen 84 7 Dani Sordo 71 8 Elfyn Evans 70 9 Craig Breen 61 10 Hayden Paddon 55 FIA WRC manufacturers’ standings: 1 Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 331 2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 319 3 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 306 4 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team 216It was a strong fight over the weekend and we gave it everything. Of course, it was not the result we expected as we wanted to take more points than @SebOgier but maybe we will have an advantage to be second on the road in Australia. Let’s see. Epic end of season ahead! #WRC pic.twitter.com/rIOpBpmqfq
— Thierry Neuville (@thierryneuville) October 28, 2018
- Full Martin Holmes rally report to follow
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
