Ogier beats Loeb to Acropolis Rally title

French driver Sebastien Ogier led home a Citroen 1-2 in Athens, yesterday, as he won the seventh leg of the Rally World Championship, the Acropolis Rally, ahead of compatriot and seven-time world champion Sebastien Loeb.

Ogier had started the final day behind Loeb, after the latter had stolen the lead in a dramatic final special stage on Saturday.

However, Ogier overturned that deficit to beat Loeb by 10.5 seconds to take the win in only his second participation in the race, having finished runner-up last year, and record his third victory of the season.

“I am really happy, this is perfect,” said 27-year-old Ogier, who has won five rallies thus far in his career.

“It was a difficult rally for me, I had trouble at the beginning, then I succeeded in finding my rhythm,” added Ogier after he also took the race ending power stage which gave him three additional points in the championship standings.

Loeb had to console himself with his 100th career podium placing, including 65 victories, and that he had thwarted his Ford rivals plans to make up any ground on him in a race the team had won seven times since 2000.

Ford’s best placing was Mirko Hirvonen as last year’s Acropolis Rally winner, who came into the race 13 points behind Loeb, finished third while Norway’s 2003 world champion Petter Solberg took fourth in a Citroen.

Drivers’ standings
1. Loeb 146 points, 2. Hirvonen 129, 3. Ogier 124, 4. Latvala 76, 5. P. Solberg 73.