Rally Bulgaria: Citroen dominate inaugural WRC round

Citroen dominated the new Rally Bulgaria round of the WRC, which was the first sealed surface event in the series since October.

Reigning champion and this year’s championship leader Sebastien Loeb comfortably won and was followed home by team-mate Dani Sordo with Petter Solberg and Sebastien Ogier behind them.
Ford works drivers Mikka Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala couldn’t catch the flying French leader and the rest of the Citroen pack.
It was based in Borovets, the country's old ski resort, and the route offered 14 speed tests covering 354.10km over three days of competition. One special stage was cancelled during the second leg for safety reasons, reducing the competitive distance to 329.24km.
Blistering heat was expected but drivers encountered rain, fog and cool temperatures until the thermometer finally rose to higher levels on the last leg.
The championship returns to gravel later this month for the classic Rally Finland, complete with its high speed roller coaster jumps, centered around Jyväskylä on 29 - 31 July.

Final positions Rally Bulgaria
1. S Loeb/D Elena Citroen C4 3hr 02min 39.2sec
2. D Sordo/M Marti Citroen C4 3hr 03min 08.7sec
3. P Solberg/C Patterson Citroen C4 3hr 03min 15.5sec
4. S Ogier/J Ingrassia Citroen C4 3hr 04min 34.2sec
5. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen Ford Focus RS 3hr 05min 57.0sec
6. J-M Latvala/M Anttila Ford Focus RS 3hr 07min 07.7sec
7. P-G and J Andersson Ford Focus RS 3hr 08min 04.4sec
8. F Turan/G Lsiros Peugeot 307 3hr 09min 43.2sec
9. M Wilson/S Martin Ford Focus RS 3hr 12min 07.8sec
10 H Solberg/I Minor Ford Fiesta S2000 3hr 15min 45.2sec

World Rally Championship 2010
Drivers		Manufacturers
S Loeb 151pts		Citroen Total 232pts
S Ogier 100pts		BP Ford Abu Dhabi 185pts
M Hirvonen 86pts		Citroen Junior 125pts
J-M Latvala 80pts		Stobart M-Sport Ford 98pts
P Solberg 78pts		Munchi's Ford 40pts