01 February 2009
Loeb wins Rally Ireland
Top Irishmen home were Eamonn Boland in ninth, Aaron MacHale in eleventh,
Tim McNulty twelfth, and after an earlier major mishap, Shaun Gallagher
has won Group N by coming home in thirteenth position.The result was Loeb’s 48th
career win and his second on the Irish round of the World Rally
Championship, which he last won in 2007.
His team-mate Dani
Sordo finished second, as he had done in 2007, making it an emphatic
one-two result for the Citroen Total World Rally Team.
“It’s
been a really tough rally but I’m very happy to take the 10 points,”
said Loeb. “Tarmac rallies are especially important to me. This one has
been tricky for everyone, but now we’re here at the finish with maximum
points. It’s a good start to the season!”
Second place netted
Dani Sordo eight points in the 2009 drivers’ championship. “It’s a
really, really good result for us to start the year with,” said the
Spaniard. “I’m happy for me and for the team. The conditions have been
bad - we’ve had some crazy stages - but it’s been a great result!”
Mikko
Hirvonen finished third in his BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team Focus RS WRC,
collecting six championship points and slotting behind Sordo in the
2009 drivers’ standings.
“It’s a good start to the season,”
said the Finn. “We had some problems this weekend; I was hoping I could
fight with Sordo but maybe that will come another time. It’s still a
good start to my season. Now I’m looking forward to the next round in
Norway.”
Courtesy: www.wrc.com