Frenchman Sebastien Loeb and his co-driver Daniel Elena took the first win of the 2009 season when they powered their Citroen C4 world rally car to victory in treacherous conditions. The rally for Citroen was close to perfect as teammate to Loeb, Spaniard Dani Sordo finished second, while Citroën Junior drivers Chris Atkinson and Sébastien Ogier finished fifth and sixth respectively.
Sebastien Loeb took an early lead of the rally after the opening loop on the Friday stages. The Citroen pair were followed closely by teammate Sordo and his co-driver Marc Marti whom lay in second. The weather conditions were atrocious with heavy rain giving the crews much to think about.
But Loeb and Elena pulled out a manageable lead making their tyre choice a little less problematic on the third and final day.
'Weekend Was No Stroll'
Five-time World Champion Sebastien Loeb beamed, "Even though we weren't on the ideal rubber for the first loop, we were able to control from in front. Don't get me wrong; this weekend's win was no stroll. Given the delicate conditions, it was essential to have a car that was easy to drive and my C4 WRC was perfect from start to finish. Today's victory was obviously the best way possible to kick off this year's championship."
Dani Sordo finished second to his team-mate home in second place and was equally pleased,"I'm very happy because coming second means that Citroën leaves Ireland with maximum Manufacturers' points, and it was great to have a perfectly trouble-free run, too. The conditions were very difficult, and going the full distance without making any mistakes was a challenge in itself! This result is a terrific confidence booster for the rest of the season."
Citroën Sport Director Olivier Quesnel was understandably delighted with Loeb and Elena's 13th consecutive asphalt rally win: "We had been hoping to start the season with a win, if only because the 2009 calendar features just 12 rounds, with only two on asphalt," he commented. "There will be a high price to pay for any mistake this year. The fact that we are leading both championships after the season's curtain-raiser means we can go into the next event in a more relaxed frame of mind."
Hirvonen Takes Third Place
The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers of Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished third on the rain soaked rally. Hirvonen's teammate, Jari-Matti Latvala finished a lowly 14th overall, this was largely due to a major accident on day one of the rally, however, this was sufficient to claim manufacturer points for Ford.
Mikko Hirvonen said, "This is the more difficult of the two asphalt events in the calendar and six points is a good start to the year. I'm pleased with that but would have been even happier with more. Conditions were quite extreme with so much water during the opening two days. Today there wasn't so much water, but it was just as slippery because the roads were muddy instead of just wet. It's a shame about our power steering problem because it meant I couldn't fight with Dani to the end."
Final leaderboard on Rally Ireland*
1 S Loeb/D Elena
Citroen C4
2hr 48min 25.7sec
2 D Sordo/M Marti
Citroen C4
2hr 49min 53.6sec
3 M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen
Ford Focus RS
2hr 50min 33.5sec
4 H Solberg/C Menkerud
Ford Focus RS
2hr 54min 58.1sec
5 C Atkinson/S Prévot
Citroen C4
2hr 56min 17.6sec
6 S Ogier/J Ingrassia
Citroen C4
2hr 59min 09.7sec
7 M Wilson/S Martin
Ford Focus RS
2hr 59min 49.5sec
8 K Al Qassimi/M Orr
Ford Focus RS
3hr 02min 33.6sec
9 E Boland/D Morrissey
Subaru Impreza
3hr 03min 49.1sec
10 U Aava/K Sikk
Ford Focus RS
3hr 04min 01.1sec
Drivers Standings After Rally Ireland*
1. S Loeb
10pts
2. D Sordo
8pts
3. M Hirvonen
6pts
4. H Solberg
5pts
5. C Atkinson
4pts
6. S Ogier
3pts
Manufacturers Standings After Rally Ireland*
1. Citroen Total
18pts
2. BP Ford Abu Dhabi
8pts
3. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford
8pts
4. Citroen Junior Team
5pts
*All results subject to FIA confirmation.
