Loeb wins in Spain

Citroen's world champion Sebastien Loeb won the Rally of Spain for the fourth year in a row yesterday to extend his championship lead to 12 points with three rounds remaining.

The victory was the five-times world champion's ninth in 12 races this season and left him with 96 points to 84 for Finland's Mikko Hirvonen.

Loeb's Spanish team-mate Dani Sordo was second yesterday, 24.9 seconds adrift of the leader, with Ford's Hirvonen taking third place after switching positions with his obliging Belgian team-mate François Duval on the penultimate stage.

Norway's Petter Solberg was fifth for Subaru, nearly three-and-half minutes off the pace.