France's Sebastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena won the Rally of France to clinch the 2010 World Rally Championship for drivers and manufacturers and seal a record seventh crown for Loeb.
Loeb and Elena celebrate their 7th WRC title Image: Citroen |
The Citroen driver dominated the rally, which was hosted in his home town of Haguenau in the Alsace region of France, leading the event from start to finish and taking the Championship with two rounds of the series remaining.
The rally had moved to the town this year in part because of Loeb's achievements in the Championship, with the scene set for him to break the Championship crown record again. The 36 year-old has now won seven straight World titles, all with Citroen, his first coming in 2004. His nearest rivals are Finnish drivers Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Makinen, both of whom won four world titles in their career.
The FIA's decision to hold the event around Loeb's home town paid off as far as spectators were concerned, with every stage packed with rally fans wanting to catch a fleeting glimpse of their hero. In fact, one stage had to be cancelled due to the sheer number of spectators on the roads.
There were emotional scenes at the end of the event, with even greater celebrations for Citroen as they took a podium 1-2-3 with Loeb's factory team-mate Dani Sordo second and 'privateer' Citroen driver, Petter Solberg, third. The result clinches the Manufacturer's Championship for the French car maker.