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Loeb seals record Monte Carlo win

Frenchman Sebastien Loeb steers his car during the Monte Carlo rally's final stage in Monaco on Sunday. Loeb won the event ahead of Finn Mikko Hirvonen. PHOTO: AFP

Sebastien Loeb sealed a record fifth Monte Carlo victory on Sunday after dominating the opening world championship rally.

The French driver completed the four-day race in 3 hours, 39 minutes, 17 seconds to clinch the race.

"It's always nice to start the season with a win, but I have no intention of getting carried away because there are some very difficult rallies to come," Loeb said.

Mikko Hirvonen of Finland has become Loeb's main rival for the title since Marcus Gronholm's retirement.

The Ford driver took second place, 2:34.4 behind Loeb.

Hirvonen, however, never managed to put Loeb under pressure in the asphalt event as he feels more comfortable on surfaces such as ice and gravel.

Loeb took advantage of a lead of 2:10.6 after the third leg to preserve his tires.

"The most significant thing is the way we won this year," Loeb said. "Our Citroen C4 performed faultlessly throughout and the set-up we chose for the start proved excellent."

Loeb's team mate Dani Sordo of Spain was second overall when he was ruled out by an engine problem on Saturday.

The highlight of the fourth leg was the battle between Chris Atkinson of Australia and Francois Duval of Belgium for third place.

Duval trailed the Subaru driver by only 20.1 seconds before the 15th stage.

By the end of the last stage, Duval had almost closed the gap on Atkinson, winning four of Sunday's five stages. But Atkinson finally kept third place.

"This year's change of tire manufacturer has induced a few changes to the behavior of the car," Atkinson said. "I spun in the first curve of stage 18."

The next rally will be held in Karlstad, Sweden, from Feb. 8-10.
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