Spain 2009

AFTER THEIR PROBLEMS WITH SCRUTINEERING IN AUSTRALIA, IT SEEMED THAT CITROEN WERE DOUBLY DETERMINED TO WIN THIS RALLY, PREFERABLY WITH SEBASTIEN LOEB AS WINNER AND DANIEL SORDO AS RUNNER-UP.

THE C4 IN THE HANDS OF THESE TWO TARMAC SPECIALISTS SEEMS TO BE A STEP AHEAD OF THE FORD FOCUS, MIKKO HIRVONEN AND JARI-MATTI LATVALA AND SO IT PROVED.

THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT THAT SORDO COULD HAVE WON HIS FIRST RALLY HERE, SUCH WAS HIS PERFORMANCE, BUT HE PLAYED THE TEAM GAME AND ALLOWED SEBASTIEN TO TAKE THE LEAD AT THE END OF DAY TWO. THEY FINISHED IN THIS ORDER, APPROXIMATELY 1 MINUTE AHEAD OF MIKKO, AND IN SO DOING CLINCHED THE 2009 CONSTRUCTORS TITLE FOR CITROEN.

PETTER SOLBERG CHOSE TO RUN A 2008 SPECIFICATION C4 HERE AND IT WAS A JOY TO SEE HIM REVEL IN THE PERFORMANCE. HE WON 4/5 STAGES, FINISHED 4TH OVERALL AND LOOKED HAPPIER THAN HE HAS BEEN FOR SOME TIME. HE IS TO COMPETE IN RALLY GB AS PART OF THE CITROEN JUNIOR TEAM AND, AS A 4-TIME WINNER OF THIS RALLY, HE COULD HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE DRIVERS TITLE RACE.

SO ONLY ONE POINT SEPARATES MIKKO FROM SEBASTIEN AGAIN AND THIS CHAMPIONSHIP GOES DOWN TO WIRE IN WALES AT THE END OF OCTOBER.

Rally Results posted by
David Little
5th October 2009

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