One - two finish for new Citroen C4 WRC on its debut in Monte Carlo

The exceptionally fast stages of the opening leg were run entirely in darkness and to confirm the speed of the new C4 WRC, Loeb posted the two fastest times in wet conditions, to the delight of the Citroën Sport team.

Loeb, who has only recently recovered from a broken arm, led from the start to secure a record 29th rally triumph and fourth Monte Carlo success alongside co-driver Daniel Elena.

A delighted Sébastien Loeb commented: “It’s nice to have won in Monte Carlo for a fourth time and we couldn’t have dreamed for a better start to the season. To have finished 1st and 2nd will be a huge morale-booster for the team. We’ve risen successfully to the challenge on asphalt, now fresh challenges await us on snow and dirt.”

Sébastien Loeb’s win takes him level with rally legends Sandro Munari, Walter Röhrl and Tommi Mäkinen who are the only other drivers to have won the Monte Carlo rally four times.

Final Leaderboard for the Monte Carlo Rally

1. S. Loeb/D. Elena (Citroën C4) 3 h 15 min 27,4 s

2. D. Sordo/M.Martí (Citroën C4) + 38,2 s

3. M. Grönholm/T. Rautiainen (Ford Focus) + 1 min 22,8 s

4. C. Atkinson/G. NcNeall (Subaru Impreza) + 2 min 28,1 s

5. M. Hirvonen/J. Lehtinen (Ford Focus) + 2 min 28,3 s

FIA World Rally Championship standings after round 1 – Manufacturers*

1st . Citroën - 18 pts; 2nd. Ford - 10 pts; 3rd. Subaru - 8 pts; 4th. OMV Kronos Citroën – 2 pts; 5th. Stobart - 1 pt

FIA World Rally Championship standings after round 1 – Drivers*

1st. S. Loeb (2006 World Champion) (F), 10 pts; 2nd. M. Stohl (A) - 8 pts; 3rd. M. Grönholm (FIN) - 6 pts; 4th. C. Atkinson (AUS) - 5 pts; 5th. M. Hirvonen (FIN) - 4 pts; 6th. P. Solberg (N) - 3 pts; 7th. T. Gardemeister (FIN) - 2 pts; 8th. J.Kopecký (CZ) - 1 pt.

Source: Citroën