image is courtesy of  http://www.worldrallypics.com

Sebastian Loeb (Citroen C3) claimed a record sixth successive world rally championship with victory in the season-ending Rally of Great Britain in Wales on Sunday.  

It was the Frenchman’s seventh win in the 12-round championship and his 54^th in a record-breaking WRC career.  He trailed Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Focus) by a single point at the start of the event and emerged champion by a single point after beating the Ford driver by 66 seconds on Sunday.  He had led the rally going into the final day by 30 seconds only to see Hirvonen whittle this down to 18 seconds with two stages remaining.  Then the Finn was forced to stop to secure his bonnet and lost a minute.

Third place on Sunday, a second behind Hirvonen, was enough to secure Loeb’s Spanish team-mate, Dani Sordo, third place in the championship.  Citroen wrapped up the manufacturers’ championship in Spain last month.