Germany 2007

CLEARLY, SEBASTIEN LOEB LOVES THIS RALLY. HE WON HIS FIRST W.R.C. EVENT ON THE INAUGURAL RUNNING OF THIS GERMAN ROUND IN 2002 AND HAS NEVER BEEN BEATEN HERE SINCE! 2007 WAS NO EXCEPTION - HE WON AS HE PLEASED MAKING IT 6 WINS IN SUCCESSION. MARCUS GRONHOLM TOOK THE FIGHT TO SEBASTIEN EARLY ON BUT IT SOON BECAME CLEAR THAT IT WOULD TAKE A MISTAKE ON THE FRENCHMAN'S PART FOR MARCUS TO CLAIM VICTORY. LOEB NEVER LOOKED LIKE HANDING IT TO THE FINN AND ON DAY 3 HE SIMPLY HAD TO DRIVE AT A RELAXED PACE, JUST DOING ENOUGH TO KEEP MARCUS AT BAY. FROM THIS YOU WOULD EXPECT THAT HE WAS NEVER REALLY CHALLENGED. NOT A BIT OF IT. FRANCOIS DUVAL MADE A WELCOME, AND AT TIMES INSPIRED, RETURN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE OMV CITROEN XSARA. SO MUCH SO THAT HE LED THE RALLY AT THE END OF DAY 1. UNFORTUNATELY, HE MADE TWO ERRORS ON DAY 2 THAT SAW HIM DROP TO FOURTH AT THE TIME BUT BY THE END OF THAT DAY HE HAD CLAIMED 3RD FROM MIKKO HIRVONEN. ON THE LAST DAY, HE ATTACKED GRÖNHOLM FOR 2ND SPOT, CLAWING BACK THE SECONDS ON EACH STAGE. HE EVENTUALLY FINISHED 2ND WHEN MARCUS, DISTRACTED BY A LARGE COW THAT WAS LOOSE AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ON THE FINAL STAGE, WENT OFF THE ROAD 100 METRES FURTHER ON. NOT SURPRISINGLY, HE HAD NOT TAKEN IN THE PACE NOTE FOR THE FOLLOWING BEND. HE LIMPED TO THE END OF THE STAGE TO CLAIM 4TH OVERALL. HIRVONEN TOOK THE LAST PLACE ON THE PODIUM. THE COMBINATION OF DUVAL'S SUPERB PERFORMANCE AND THE CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH THE COW ALL PROVED VERY FORTUNATE FOR LOEB - THE BEST HE COULD NORMALLY HAVE EXPECTED WOULD HAVE BEEN TO TAKE 2 POINTS OFF GRONHOLM IF THE FINN HAD FINISHED SECOND BUT HE GAINED 5 POINTS TO REDUCE HIS DEFICIT IN THE TITLE RACE FROM 13 POINTS TO 8 POINTS - A MUCH MORE ACHIEVABLE TARGET.

Rally Results posted by
David Little
20th August 2007

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