Rallying: Loeb claims record ninth world title

STRASBOURG: Sebastien Loeb was crowned world rally champion for a record ninth successive time with two legs of the season still to come. His latest title with victory in the Rally of France left him with an unassailable lead in the overall standings. Loeb’s win pushed him up to 244 points in the drivers’ title race with his teammate, Mikko Hirvonen who finished third, on 173 points and out of contention for the title with rallies in Italy and Spain remaining. “Nine titles! Yes, we’ve done it, this is huge,” said Loeb. “I was carried along by the fans over the past four days, I’d really like to say thank you to them.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2012.