Loeb: the points that counted

Rally from Ireland? Rally Argentina – 1 to 5/12
Sébastien Loeb is riding the wave of its fifth consecutive coronation. At the start of the season, the Frenchman is at the top of his game. The five-time world champion appears invincible and wins the first five Rallies of the season. For many, Loeb is unbeatable and is heading towards a new record. Already, the media are wondering if the Alsatian will beat his record for victories in a season.

Rally Italy (Sardinia) – 6/12
Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena experience their first hitch of the season. While Jari-Matti Latvala dominated the competition weekend, Mikko Hirvonen finished second: team logic was not yet established at Ford. For his part, Sébastien Loeb headed for a third place before being downgraded due to non-compliance with the procedure when changing a wheel. Petter Solberg climbs to third place, the Frenchman only scores five points.

Greece Rally (Acropolis) – 7/12
It's the low point of the season for Loeb and Elena. The crew of Citroën C4 n°1 hit a stone during the second stage, rolled over and gave up. Mikko Hirvonen wins and comes back to seven points behind the leaders of the WRC.

Rally Poland – 8/12
The poor performances are piling up for the five-time world champion tandem. From the Polish SS4, Sébastien Loeb made a mistake by hitting a stump and said goodbye to the podium. Starting again on Saturday in SupeRally, the Frenchman can hope to gain enough time to get back into the points. The Frenchman benefits from team instructions among the Reds, Conrad Rautenbach and Evgeny Novikov slowing down to allow Sébastien Loeb to enter eighth place. 500 meters from the finish line, a boost came with the error of Jari-Matti Latvala, who retired and lost his second place. The Frenchman moved up to seventh place and scored two important points. Mikko Hirvonen, however, takes the lead in the world championship, with one point in advance.

Rally Finland – 9/12
Business is picking up for Citroën, no problempine does not come to upset Sébastien Loeb, in the fight with Mikko Hirvonen on his land. The Finn, however, was too strong and won his third consecutive Rally, ahead of the Frenchman. Hirvonen consolidates his leadership and increases his lead to three points.

Rally Australia – 10/12
The end of the season is approaching and the calculations are starting to get tight at Citroën. If Sébastien Loeb wants to win a sixth title, he must win it in the antipodes. After a close duel which lasted for more than thirty special stages, the Frenchman finally won and came within one point of the Ford driver. Shock a few hours after arrival: the stewards judged the steering rods of the Citroën C4 to be non-compliant. The sanction is fortunately not too severe: the three Citroën crews (Loeb, Sordo, Ogier) receive a one-minute penalty. The five-time world champion fell to second place, handing victory to Mikko Hirvonen and leaving five points behind the Finn.

Rally of Spain (Catalonia) – 11/12
The calculation is simple for Sébastien Loeb: he must win in Catalonia and count on Dani Sordo's second place in order to take four points from Mikko Hirvonen and arrive in Great Britain just one point behind. The forecasts are in line with expectations: the two Citroën crews achieve the double, leaving only third place for Mikko Hirvonen. The Finn now only has one point ahead of his rival. Everything will be decided in Great Britain: the driver who wins the Rally, or who finishes ahead of the other, will be crowned world champion.

Rally Great Britain – 12/12
Sébastien Loeb is attacking the weekend with full throttle. The Frenchman won the first stages and took the lead. But Mikko Hirvonen didn't give up and even got closer to less than three seconds after SS7. The Finn, for no apparent reason, then lost ten seconds twice and finished the second stage thirty seconds behind Sébastien Loeb. On Sunday, it was the Frenchman who was in difficulty, with a turbo problem which caused him to lose ten seconds in the penultimate special. If the problem persists, he loses his title. But, in the following special, Mikko Hirvonen had to tear off a stubborn hood and lost a minute. Can the Frenchman perform in the last special and enjoy a sixth world champion title?