World RX – Loeb scores his first success in Riga

Sébastien Loeb celebrated his first victory in World RX for the new meeting in Bikernieki (Latvia). With the rain benefiting the Peugeot 208, the nine-time champion of WRC won his semi-final before dominating the final to win ahead of Mattias Ekström (Audi S1), while Timmy Hansen placed a second Team Hansen Peugeot on the podium.

However, the day got off to a bad start for Team Peugeot-Hansen since Timmy Hansen hit his teammate during qualifying. Both drivers nevertheless managed to qualify.

Mattias Ekström takes a big step towards the title by taking advantage of the catastrophic weekend of Petter Solberg (Citroën). The two-time reigning World RX champion failed to qualify for the semi-finals. After his exclusion from Q2, the Norwegian hit the wall in the third qualifying heat.

Andreas Bakkerud (Ford Focus RS) was close to the podium after being slowed down in the semi-final by mechanical problems.

Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen Polo) only took fifth place after missing his start. The Volkswagen RX Sweden resident becomes Mattias Ekström's main opponent in the Championship with 27 points behind with two rounds remaining in the season. Timur Timerzyanov (Ford Fiesta) retired, ending his race in the wall at the first corner.

In the Manufacturers' Championship, Team Peugeot-Hansen came back to 12 points behind EKS.

World RX results in Bikernieki

Discover the report of the World RX in Bikernieki in issue 2083 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday in newsstands.