Sebastien Loeb eased to victory in Rally Ireland yesterday
to make a perfect start to his defence of the World Rally Championship.
The
Frenchman and reigning WRC king came in one minute 27.9 seconds ahead of his Citroen
team-mate Dani Sordo, with Ford's Mikko Hirvonen back in third.
"It's been
really tough but I'm happy to take the 10 points," said Loeb.
The
three-day rally was based in Sligo, in the Republic of Ireland, but the rally
snaked its way back and forth across the border into Northern Ireland.
The asphalt speed tests covered a mix of flowing mountain roads and bumpy,
narrow farm lanes.
But
perhaps the biggest challenge was the weather as continuous rain during the
opening two days left standing water in many places and forced the cancellation
of two tests on Friday. Drivers tackled 17 special stages covering
327.28km.
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