German WRC: Loeb leads Citroen 1-2

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August 29, 2005 Citroen notched up its first one-two of the season yesterday with Sebastien Loeb claiming his eighth victory of the season and extending his lead at the head of the Drivers’ Championship to 32 points with five events remaining. It is also the Frenchman’s fourth consecutive win in Germany. Team-mate Francois Duval repaid the team’s faith by claiming second, 37.4 seconds adrift of the reigning World Champion. Marcus Grönholm, winner of his home event in Finland, finished on the podium in third to retain second in the series.

In the very same event that gave them their maiden victory at world level, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena took their record to a total of 18 WRC wins by securing their fourth consecutive win in the ancient German city of Trier. Today's result extends Seb and Daniel's advantage at the top of the Drivers' championship to 32 points over Marcus Grönholm, their closest rival.

"Everyone knows that I consider the Deutschland Rally to be my home event," said Seb to the backdrop of the incredible hubbub of final service. "This is the rally my childhood friends come to watch and I really wanted to win it again; it's great to have succeeded. Like François, we pushed hard on Day 1, and then it was a case of controlling from in front. That's less fun, but that was amply outweighed by the pleasure we derived from scoring such a superb result for the team. It's looking promising for the rest of the season…"

Running in the wake of the reigning World Champions – and at the same pace – from Day 1, François Duval and Sven Smeets went on to make it a resounding one-two finish for Citroën which is likely to come in useful in the battle for the Manufacturers' title and which puts Citroën back in front in the provisional standings. "It's been a tremendous weekend for us and for Citroën," beamed François after saluting his fans who were just as numerous and enthusiastic as those of his team-mate. "Sven and I had the potential to win but the way the event unfolded meant that we had to make sure of finishing first and second. It was a little stressful because we couldn't afford to make any mistakes. To have shown that I am capable of matching Seb's speed is very important for me, for my confidence and for my future…"

Guy Fréquelin was naturally delighted but didn't conceal that he was a little anxious until the flag came down: "When you pull out such a lead so early on, everybody thinks it's easy and you're obliged in a way to score a top result. You have to go all the way, otherwise you give the impression you've missed out on something. The incidents that affected us at the beginning of Leg 2 provided a reminder that anything can happen in rallying. But in the end, we finished without making any mistakes and secured the best possible result. I have to congratulate the whole team: Seb and Daniel of course, but also François and Sven who put in an excellent performance and accepted to settle for this result. The fact that François has got his confidence back is very important. We will need it."

Marcus Gronholm, Peugeot Total Rally Team, third place: "I have to be pleased with third, as it was the best we could achieve here. Nobody could compete with the Citroens: they were in a class of their own here. Looking on the positive side, the car was totally reliable and we were faster than anybody else. Now I'm looking forward to getting back onto gravel. I think we have a better chance of winning there!"

Markko Martin, Peugeot Total Rally Team, fourth place: "This was quite a straightforward rally for me. I lost time on the first day when a tyre came off the rim, but by the end of it I was back to fourth again and from then on it was just a question of holding that position. I had a bit of excitement today when the Ford of Daniel Sola held me up in the morning and I had to overtake him, but apart from that we had no dramas. It was a good, solid performance from ourselves and the team."

Jean Pierre Nicolas, Peugeot Total Rally Team: “Our objective was achieved on these very dry roads. We knew that it would be difficult to fight on equal terms with Citroen, so the most sensible course of action was to concentrate on securing third and fourth places. Our drivers had no mechanical problems throughout the rally. We are now six points behind the championship, but Marcus and Markko will approach the next round of the championship, Rally Great Britain, with a mindset that will allow them to fight for the win. “

Gigi Galli, Mitsubishi, fifth: “A very interesting day….!” said Galli at the finish. “I can’t really believe it because our goal was to do well but not push hard and go off the road. Everyone in the team worked really well and at lunchtime I felt great support and that gave me real confidence this afternoon. Today, we made no mistakes at all and that makes a difference. It was a very tricky rally and we have made another step forward with the team and also our career. I am really surprised to have done that on this rally!”

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