2012 Rally d’Alsace: Loeb World Rally Champion

Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena have won the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship after claiming victory in Loeb’s home round of the series, Rallye de France Alsace. This is the duo’s ninth consecutive FIA World Rally Championship title; a record-breaking achievement. The Citroën Total World Rally Team has also clinched the Manufacturers’ Championship for the eighth time.

In the overall classification of Rallye de France Alsace, the 11th round of the Championship, Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila finished second overall for Ford, with Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen taking the final podium position.

The final day of competition took in two loops of three stages, with no opportunity for service, and was the shortest leg with just 61.54 kilometres of competition. In the Power Stage – stage 20 in France – Ott Tanak, Thierry Neuville and Mads Ostberg claimed additional points for setting the fastest times through this 17.08 kilometre stage. Rain this morning made conditions tricky for the crews but Loeb maintained his advantage to cruise to a record-breaking ninth title and 75th World Rally win. Both Latvala and Hirvonen also finished the rally without problems to complete the podium positions. Behind them, Thierry Neuville has flown through the stages today, winning all three tests this morning to move from sixth to fourth. This afternoon the Belgian only conceded the Power Stage win to Tanak to round off a fine weekend. Mads Ostberg finished fifth ahead of Tanak, who lost time with a spin this morning, and Evgeny Novikov who dropped time with a roll. Dani Sordo was forced into retirement this afternoon after losing the power steering.

The penultimate round of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship takes the contenders to the island of Sardinia for Rally Italia (18-21 October).

Rallye de France Alsace – Final Results

FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers (after 11 of 13 rounds)

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers (after 11 of 13 rounds)