Share

Loeb wins Rally of Jordan

Amman - Frenchman Sebastien Loeb won the Rally of Jordan, the third leg of the world championships, on Saturday for his 56th rally win and extended his lead in the overall standings.

The 36-year-old six-time defending world champion - driving a Citroen - beat Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala, who was celebrating his 25th birthday, in a Ford Focus and Petter Solberg of Norway, also driving a Citroen.

Loeb leads Latvala by 25 points in the overall standings with Finland's Mikko Hirvonen, who retired on Friday morning with a broken suspension, dropping to third.

"It's been a good rally for us and with a 31-point lead over (arch-rival) Mikko Hirvonen it means it has been a good start to the season," said Loeb.

"I really had to go flat-out because Jari-Matti was going very fast and made me push to the limit all of the time."

Latvala wasn't quite sure how he felt about ending up in the runners-up spot.

"I am quite pleased with second but also a little disappointed we didn't have the pace to compete with Sebastien," said Latvala.

Loeb, 10th in the inaugural bi-annual Rally of Jordan two years ago, had been ahead since Friday afternoon's special stages and cemented his advantage on Saturday as he won three special stages while his closest rival Latvala lost 30 seconds on him.

The biggest loser on the final day was Loeb's compatriot and team-mate Sebastien Ogier who was under team orders to give Loeb a free run and slipped as a result from second overnight to a final sixth place.

While Latvala was keen not to discuss the dubious tactics used by Citroen to ensure Loeb prevailed, Ogier carried their instructions out selflessly.

Having started the day in second he ran first on the road after being instructed by his team to check in early at the start of the first stage to clear the road of loose surface gravel and help Loeb.

The eight-minute time penalty he picked up meant he could finish no better than sixth.

"Tactics are part of the game and it's down to the teams to do what they want with it. I am just the driver," commented Loeb.

Latvala simply shrugged his shoulders.

"What has happened with the tactics on this event is now history."

Final standings in the Rally of Jordan, the third event of the 13-race world rally championship, on Saturday:

1. Sebastien Loeb (FRA) Citroen C4 3hr 51min 35.9sec, 2. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) Ford Focus at 35.8sec, 3. Petter Solberg (NOR) Citreen C4 1:11.8, 4. Dani Sordo (ESP) Citroen C4 1:49.3, 5. Matthew Wilson (GBR) Ford Focus RS 8:24.3, 6. Sebastien Ogier (FRA) Citroen C4 10.26.4, 7. Frederico Villagra (ARG) Ford Focus 11:28.0, 8. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Citroen C4 12:31.0, 9. Henning Solberg (FIN) Ford Focus 14:08.6, 10. Xavier Pons (ESP) Ford Fiesta 18:33.9

Special stage winners: Jari-Matti Latvala (SS1, SS2, SS5, SS18, SS20), Daniel Sordo (SS3), Petter Solberg (SS4, SS6, SS9, SS12, SS15), Sebastien Loeb (SS7, SS8, SS10, SS11, SS13, SS14, SS16, SS17, SS19, Sebastien Ogier (SS21)

Overall standings:

Drivers:
1. Sebastien Loeb (FRA) 68pts, 2. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) 43, 3. Mirka Hirvonen (FIN) 37, 4. Petter Solberg (NOR) 35, 5. Sebastien Ogier (FRA) 33, 6. Dani Sordo (ESP) 24, 7. Henning Solberg (NOR) 18, 8. Matthew Wilson (GBR) 16, 9. Frederico Villagra (ARG) 12, 10. Xavier Pons (ESP) 5

Selected:
12. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) 4

Constructors:
1. Citroen Racing 101pts, 2. Ford 87, 3. Citroen Junior Team 48, 4. Stobart-Ford 44, 5. Munchi's Ford 16

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1471 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE