Sébastien Loeb is magical. The Frenchman has once again, for the fourth time (2003-04-05-07), won the famous Monte Carlo Rally driving his double-chevron emblazoned car. The three-time world champion returned to the WRC circuit after a clavicle fracture, in the most spectacular way—with a victory, bringing his championship win tally to 29.
In this opening round of the 2007 season, the new Citroens C4 were highly anticipated. It’s tough to succeed the Xsara, whose track record speaks volumes. Challenge met, as the red cars finished in the top two places. The young Spaniard Dani Sordo, successor of Carlos Sainz, was the runner-up to the Alsatian by 38.2 seconds.
The special stages in Ardèche and Drôme revealed the true performance level of Citroën’s new weapon. Dominating the tricky roads like no other, though snow was absent, the Frenchman once again proved he was the fastest, with the C4s proving to be as quick as their illustrious predecessors. His teammate tried to keep up, especially in the second stage, but the former gymnast quickly took back the reins of the race and never let go.
After fourteen special stages touring these winding roads, where a precipice is never far away, the 75th edition of the Monte Carlo ended up at Monaco’s harbor on Sunday. One final timed stage remained on a 2.8 km loop. Utilizing the lower part of the F1 circuit, the 39 crews delighted, two by two, the 5000 spectators gathered around the track, all on snow tires (non-studded thermoplastics) to ensure the show (less grip, more sliding!).
The main obstacle to yet another Monaco title for Sébastien Loeb, Marcus Gronholm could do no better than third. Driving his 2006 Ford Focus RS, the Finn, winner of the previous edition, never really managed to keep up with the relentless pace set by the French cars. Clearly, the 2000 and 2002 world champion had made a poor tire choice. Too hard, they cost him precious seconds in each stage.
Thanks to this one-two finish, the double-chevron firm leads the championship. The Citroën team is strong in its quest for the manufacturer’s title, taken by its great rival, the American giant Ford, in 2006. The Subarus have somewhat recovered, but still remain a few steps behind the performance level required for victory. Australian Chris Atkinson finished fourth overall after winning Sunday morning’s super special and snatching five points from Miko Hirvonen (Ford). His world champion teammate, Norwegian Peter Solberg, meanwhile, garnered some valuable points by finishing sixth in the event. The pair are eagerly awaiting the new version of the Impreza, scheduled for the Rally Mexico (next March), which has shown very promising test results.
The meeting is set in Sweden, where the Fords and their drivers will be much more at ease. The only foreigner to have won this rally, Sébastien Loeb will surely aim to repeat his 2005 feat and thus maintain his lead in the championship. And this time, snow is expected. The saying “driving by the door” will then take on its full meaning.