Loeb to miss Rally of Germany

Paris - Nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb will sit out the Rally of Germany, the next race in the WRC calendar, his Hyundai team said on Tuesday.

The 45-year-old Frenchman is contracted to participate in six races for Hyundai and he has already completed four, finishing fourth in Monte Carlo and third in Chile. 

Loeb didn't take part in the last two races in Sardinia and Finland. He is currently 11th in the standings with 39 points. 

Hyundai, who lead Toyota by 24 points in the manufacturers' championship, will go into the race with Thierry Neuville, Andreas Mikkelsen and Dani Sordo, who won in Sardinia.

"As always, the selection has been made based on our philosophy to enter the strongest composition of drivers for each individual event, in a bid to secure the best result possible for the manufacturers’ championship," the team said in a statement on its website.

The Rally of Germany begins on August 22.