LOEB CONQUERS CORSICA
15 April 2006 - Citroën UK Ltd

Citroën World Rally front runner, Sebastien Loeb, continued his rich vein of form to guide his Xsara home in first place on the testing Rally of Corsica at the weekend.

The victory further extends the Frenchman’s stranglehold on the FIA World Rally Championship to 46 Points – 11 ahead of Marcus Grönholm.

The independently run Kronos Citroën WRT also moved clear of its rivals thanks to a podium finish from Loeb’s teammate Daniel Sordo - the reigning Junior World Rally Champion.

The young Spaniard produced another great performance behind the wheel of the Xsara. Unflustered by an electrical problem that held him back on Friday, he fought hard to finish third, and secure his second podium in two races.

Commenting on his success Sebastien Loeb, said: ''The team was faultless and we were able to bring home a victory that was extremely important to us. In Corsica, in front of all our fans, on an event I love, which is the Rallye de France!''

Hot on the heels of success in Catalunya last time out, the Citroën Xsara once again proved its dominance on the asphalt. As team manager, Marc Van Dalen explained: ''Seb remains the king on the asphalt and Dani (Sordo) confirmed what we already knew anyway.''

Xevi Pons in the third Citroën Xsara finished in sixth.

Rally statistics

Final Leaderboard of the 50th Tour de Corse – Rallye de France

1. S. Loeb/D. Elena (Citroën Xsara)
3 h 43 min 05.4 s

2. M. Grönholm/T. Rautiainen (Ford Focus)
+ 29 s

3. D. Sordo/M. Martí (Citroën Xsara)
+ 1 min 48.7 s

4. M. Hirvonen/J. Lehtinen (Ford Focus)
+ 1 min 59.2 s

5. A. Bengué/C. Escudero (Peugeot 307)
+ 2 min 47.7 s

6. X. Pons/C. Del Barrio (Citroën Xsara)
+ 3 min 10.2 s

7. M. Stohl/I. Minor (Peugeot 307)
+ 5 min 01.3 s

8. S. Sarrazin/S. Prévot (Subaru Impreza)
+ 5 min 21.9 s

9. G. Galli/G. Bernacchini (Peugeot 307)
+ 5 min 42.5 s

10. J. Kopecký/F. Schovanek (Škoda Fabia)
+ 6 min 11.4 s …

FIA World Rally Championship standings for Manufacturers after round 5

1. Kronos Total Citroën WRT, 59 pts – 2. BP Ford WRT, 56 pts - 3. Subaru WRT, 38 pts – 4. OMV Peugeot Norway, 21 pts – 5. Red Bull-Škoda, 11 pts – 6. Stobart VK/M-Sport Ford RT, 10 pts.

FIA World Rally Championship standings for Drivers after round 5

1. S. Loeb (2005 World Champion) (F), 46 pts - 2. M. Grönholm (FIN), 35 pts – 3. D. Sordo (E), 20 pts – 4. M. Stohl (A), 13 pts - 5. P. Solberg (N), 10 pts – 6. A. Bengué (F), 9 pts – 7. M. Hirvonen (FIN), 7 pts - 8. T. Gardemeister (FIN), 6 pts - 9. D. Carlsson (S), 6 pts - 10. S. Sarrazin (F), 6 pts – 11. G. Galli (I), 5 pts – 12. H. Solberg (N), 5 pts – 13. X. Pons (E), 5 pts. – 14. Ch. Atkinson (AUS), 5 pts - 15. J.Kopecký (CZ), 4 pts – 16. Th. Rådström (S), 4 pts – 17. G. MacHale (IRL), 3 pts – 18. F. Duval (B),3 pts – 19. K. Katajamäki (FIN), 3 pts.

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