LOEB CLOSING ON GRONHOLM AFTER SEALING CORSICAN HAT-TRICK
16 October 2007 - Citroën UK Ltd

Citroën Sport’s Sébastien Loeb has closed the gap on FIA World Rally Championship leader Marcus Gronholm to just four points after yet another dominant victory this weekend, in the 51st Rallye de France – Tour de Corse.

Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena scored nine stage wins out of 16 in their Citroën C4 WRC. By the start of the final day, the triple world champion had a lead of 27.5 seconds over rival Gronholm, allowing him to control the rest of the event from the front on day three.

“It wasn’t down to us to take risks on the final day,” explained Sébastien. “Our role was to keep an eye on the times of our rival and adjust our pace accordingly. Even so, I tried to drive quickly to keep my concentration.”

Loeb’s win, his third Corsican victory in a row, provided some consolation for France’s disappointment at their exit from the rugby World Cup, especially as it was followed up by a third place for Citroën Sport team-mate Dani Sordo and his co-driver, Marc Marti. Gronholm filled the Citroën sandwich in second.

With three rounds remaining, Loeb’s charge is setting the scene for a thrilling finish to the 2007 WRC season. His next chance to move up on Gronholm will be in Japan, on October 26-28.

Final Leaderboard for Rallye de France – Tour de Corse

1 S. Loeb/D. Elena (Citroën C4) 3h 28min 31.5s
2 M. Gronholm/ T.Rautianen (Ford Focus) + 23.7s
3 D. Sordo/ M. Marti (Citroën C4) + 44.3s
4 JM. Latvala/ M. Anttila (Ford Focus) + 2min 30.5s
5 P. Solberg/ P. Mills (Subaru Impreza) + 2 min 42.1s
6 C. Atkinson/ S. Prevot (Subaru Impreza) + 3 min 53.8s

FIA World Rally Championship standings after round 13 – Manufacturers*

1st. Ford - 179 pts; 2nd. Citroën Total - 147 pts; 3rd. Subaru - 71 pts; 4th. Stobart - 64 pts; 5th. OMV Kronos Citroën - 39 pts; 6th. Munchis – 6 pts

FIA World Rally Championship standings after round 13 – Drivers*

1st. M. Gronholm, 104 pts; 2nd. S. Loeb, 100 pts; 3rd. M. Hirvonen, 74 pts; 4th. D. Sordo, 45 pts; 5th. P. Solberg, 38 pts; 6th. C. Atkinson, 29 pts.
*All results subject to FIA confirmation.

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